3 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE BUYING GOLD RINGS

Astley Clarke Large Malachite Floris Ring in Yellow Gold

Gold is historically the most popular metal used for jewellery, and gold rings became a staple of a good jewellery collection. From karats, colours and types, here are three things to know before buying gold rings.

Large Malachite Floris Ring in Yellow Gold

Yes, it is true that white gold grew in popularity a lot during the past few decades, specially in the engagement ring department, and that my favourite gold colour -rose gold, gained momentum amongst millennials and it quickly established itself as the third most popular gold shade. But that doesn’t mean yellow gold has been replaced. Gold rings are still a staple in everyone’s jewellery boxes just like a white shirt is in a wardrobe.

1: UNDERSTANDING KARATS

According to Britannica.com, a gold karat is «¹/₂₄ part, or 4.1667 percent, of the whole, and the purity of a gold alloy is expressed as the number of these parts of gold it contains. Thus, an object that contains 16 parts gold and 8 parts alloying metal is 16-karat gold, and pure gold is 24-karat gold.»

So basically gold rings that are 99.9% pure gold, come in 24k. From there, options slowly decrease in gold purity down to 33.3% gold which is represented by 8k and the remaining percentage can be mix of other metals.

2: YELLOW, WHITE OR ROSE GOLD?

There are different angles to tackle this question. If you’re looking to know which of these three will suit you better, just remember that as a rule of thumb, cooler skin tones go better with white gold. On the other hand, warm tones can easily wear yellow and rose gold.

But personally, I like to alternate. Plus I have a neutral skin tone so I’m happy to wear which ever metal colour I want, and so should you despite of the aforementioned rule! If you like a specific colour, then go for it! I fell in love with rose gold so all my wedding jewellery was in that colour and since then, my rose gold accessory collection keeps growing.

Details of Large Malachite Floris Ring in Yellow Gold

3: RECOGNISE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF GOLD

When it comes to jewellery craftsmanship, there are more than one type of gold used:

a. Gold plated: Gold plated rings are made of other metals but dipped in gold to create the allusion that it is gold. This is the cheapest gold option available but the quality is low and will tarnish eventually. It can also irritate sensitive skin.

b. Gold vermeil: Affordable and good quality. Just like gold plated, it is also made through the gold plating technique but requires a thicker layer of gold (above 2.5 microns), usually applied to sterling silver. Won’t tarnish and it’s hypoallergenic.

For example, the ring featured in this post is the gorgeous Large Malachite Floris Ring in Yellow Gold Vermeil, kindly gifted by British jewellery brand, Astley Clarke.

c. Gold filled: Higher in cost but it’s relatively affordable. The second best-quality jewellery gold out there. It consists in a solid layer of gold mechanically bonded to a base – jeweller’s brass. With proper care, gold filled jewellery can last a lifetime -and it’s hypoallergenic too.

d. Solid gold: The best quality of gold used for jewellery, hence it’s very expensive cost. A solid gold piece means there are no other metals apart from gold. The jewellery piece will last forever, and it’s suitable for all skin types.