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- It's Latin name is Aurum. In the Periodic Table it is
abbreviated to Au.
- It is the most malleable and ductile metal; 28gm of gold can
be beaten out to 300 square feet.
- It is a good conductor of heat and electricity and is unaffected
by air and most reagents.
- Gold comes in many caratages (i.e. different concentrations of
gold within the alloy). Many countries have differing recognised
standards. Throughout the E.C. this is being slowly standardised.
In Great Britain the following are available; 9ct-37.5%, 14ct-58.5%,
18ct-75.0%, 22ct-91.6% of gold within the alloy. This may change
later on under new regulations. The higher the caratage usually
the more yellow the alloy is.
- Rose gold has copper added to it to give it that slightly pink
colouration.
- White gold has white or grey metals added to it to make it more
white. With a better quality white gold, the caratage is usually
14ct with 41.5% white metals. The whole item can then be rhodium
plated. This gives it a good shiny, silvery finish which (especially
with wedding rings) has to be replated up to twice a year to keep
it in its original finish. Often palladium is mixed to give a whiter
metal - this gives an interesting grey tinge to the alloy, which
some designers utilise. Unfortunately palladium is very expensive
and this has caused the price of white gold to rocket above the
price of the same caratage of yellow or rose gold.
- Gold price, per gram, can vary greatly between the same caratage
items. You may have two very similar bracelets which can vary by
£200-£300. In a good quality 9ct gold the other metals can include
a large proportion of silver which will make the item more expensive.
In a cheaper item a large proportion can include tin (!) which has
been found in some of the really cheap gold brands.
- Gold will go dirty but it is not as obvious as silver. Gold is
less reactive than silver and doesn't corrode in air.
- Gold makes up 0.000,0004% of the Earth's crust - that's why its
expensive! Most gold in circulation these days is recycled. If you
refined all the worlds gold it could be placed in a single cube
60ft on a side.
- It is found free in nature and associated with quartz, pyrite
and other minerals. Two thirds of the worlds gold comes from South
Africa, and two thirds of the USA production comes from South Dakota
and Nevada. It is also found in sea water, but the extraction process
is not economic or effective.
This key will help you to see where we currently sell this type of
jewellery
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