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We all enjoy buying gold jewelry, be it plain jewelry, diamond and precious stone studded jewelry or just plated jewelry. The pleasure that we derive by wearing gold jewelry can not be matched by any other metal. We have been in awe of this precious yellow metal through the ages and still are.

While shopping for gold jewelry, there are a few things that we have to keep in mind. The price of the final product we buy will be determined by a combination of what karat (purity) of we buy, premium charged by the store on its designs, branding, the cost of precious stones including diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds etc. The thing to remember is that pure gold or 24 karat (24k) is too soft for making jewelry, it has to be mixed with alloys to give it the hardness and durability required for crafting it into a piece of jewelry.

Gold jewelry is generally made in 18k, 14k and 9k, in some countries like India it is jewelry is also made in 22k. 18k means that the ornament is made with 18 parts gold and 6 parts alloy (silver, copper, zinc etc). The color can be altered by mixing in different alloys, white gold is obtained by using platinum or palladium as alloys.

18 k and 14 k is more durable and resilient than 9k. I recommend buying 18k jewelry as it will last longer than 14k or 9k jewelry. Gold plated jewelry is basically any jewelry which has been electroplated with gold. The frequency of wear and the thickness of the plating will determine how long it takes for the plating to wear off.

Make sure the jewelry is properly marked or stamped with the correct purity ie 18k, 14k, 9k etc. Ask for an authenticity certificate from the jeweler which states the purity of gold. Check the price per gram that they have charged you and compare it to the current gold price to make sure they have not over charged. Check if the jewelry has been rhodium plated, yellow gold can be rhodium plated to change its color to white but this will wear off soon.

When buying gold plated jewelry, check what base metal has been used, silver is the best option for base metal from a quality standpoint but will a little more expensive than other common metals. Check also as to what is the thickness of the plating.

Armed with the above given knowledge you can now make a informed decision as to which purity of gold you want buy, of course you budget will also be an important factor.

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Source by Jagmala Singh