99.9% gold ring

[MakingTheGrade]

Hey Jewelerman,

I may be going back there to pick up a band for a PS friend, hehe. I will take a closer look at what the 24k purity is. I want to say it was something like 99.5 or something, but I can''t say I truly remember.

 

[ma re]

24k is the highest mark and is considered pure gold, but I remember reading somewhere that no gold is 100% pure, cause no one can (due to some refining restrictions) guarantee that anything is 100% pure gold, so it''s allowed to mark various purities as 24k, from 99.9, 99.5 etc., depending on the laws of a country where it''s been sold.

Now about the prices. While in some countries gold really is cheaper than in some other due to the lower cost of labor and/or lower duties, it''s not really so much cheaper. The reason is that in such regions gold is often sold in large pieces so you don''t really have a choice to buy those teeny tiny baby pendants - you can either buy a 50 gram bangle or a 200 gram necklace; so to speak... Someone told me that the lightest gold chain available at Dubai duty free was like 30 grams, so it''s not exactly a cheapy eventhough the price of gold is lower. And higher karatages of gold are much heavier than standard ones (22k is I think almost 40% heavier than 14k), so you also pay more cause the same piece weighs more.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Here''s a picture of it stacked with my tsav, I think it''s a winning combo. Oh well, maybe next time!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

And here''s my grandma''s 24k gold necklace that she gave me. The craftsmanship is much better than my ring, I don''t know how old it is though.
It''s a very heavy piece, the largest flower is probably around the size of a silver dollar, the smalles the size of a dime.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

details

 

[MakingTheGrade]

..

 

[MakingTheGrade]

..

And for perspective

 

[chrono]

MTG,
That necklace is gorgeous! I have some heirloom stuff too and they are too huge and heavy to wear. When I go "home", I always pick up some 24K (99.9%) plain gold bands or some pendants as future gifts for friends and relatives.

Ma Re,
They do have smaller pieces of jewellery in pure gold in Asia. They make teeny tiny pendants, earrings, chains and etc for younger children/teens.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 12/30/2009 8:54:24 AM
Author: Chrono
MTG,

That necklace is gorgeous! I have some heirloom stuff too and they are too huge and heavy to wear. When I go ''home'', I always pick up some 24K (99.9%) plain gold bands or some pendants as future gifts for friends and relatives.


Ma Re,

They do have smaller pieces of jewellery in pure gold in Asia. They make teeny tiny pendants, earrings, chains and etc for younger children/teens.

Thanks Chrono! It''s heavy, but not so big that I can''t wear it to a cocktail type party and pair it with a little black dress type of number. It''s definitely not an everyday type of piece though.

And yes! I love the itty bitty baby jewelery! In China it''s customary to bling out babies in little golden chinese padlocks. It''s supposed to protect them from evil spirits. Anyways, I''m probably going to have my mom pick out a small 24k pendant for any future children in their zodiac sign to wear around when they are small. I just think it''s super cute to see little asian babies wearing traditional gold presents.

 

[ma re]

That''s a wonderful piece MTG!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Gorgeous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[virgoruby]

Mtg, I love your necklace! it''s gorgeous!!

 

[AGBF]

I commented on the necklace when MTG posted it in the gold thread, but I want to do so again here. It is a fabulous necklace and a wonderful gift to have received from her grandmother.

AGBF

 

[Rachel9]

Absolute beauty, thanks for posting it MTG

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 12/30/2009 4:49:30 AM
Author: ma re
24k is the highest mark and is considered pure gold, but I remember reading somewhere that no gold is 100% pure, cause no one can (due to some refining restrictions) guarantee that anything is 100% pure gold, so it''s allowed to mark various purities as 24k, from 99.9, 99.5 etc., depending on the laws of a country where it''s been sold.


Now about the prices. While in some countries gold really is cheaper than in some other due to the lower cost of labor and/or lower duties, it''s not really so much cheaper. The reason is that in such regions gold is often sold in large pieces so you don''t really have a choice to buy those teeny tiny baby pendants - you can either buy a 50 gram bangle or a 200 gram necklace; so to speak... Someone told me that the lightest gold chain available at Dubai duty free was like 30 grams, so it''s not exactly a cheapy eventhough the price of gold is lower. And higher karatages of gold are much heavier than standard ones (22k is I think almost 40% heavier than 14k), so you also pay more cause the same piece weighs more.

That''s really helpful to know - thanks Ma re!

MTG, you are killing me here - those pieces are scrumptious! Gosh, I really really really want a high karat gold piece now.

I know for sure my mom does - she''s been wanting two 24 kt. gold bands to stack for years. I''m hoping that I end up in Korea or China next year and do some serious gold shopping. Thanks so much for sharing!

 

[AprilBaby]

Very pretty color, but I notice in the higher kt gold the workmanship doesn''t look as fine...as in smooth, shiny, delicate...(not as in cheap). Is it because it is harder to work with or thicker to work with?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Hey Aprilbaby, I''m only guessing but I would think that 24k being so soft, people might not want to design pieces that are too delicate, and the softness might prevent it from being buffed to a high shine like other metals? I''m not really sure.

 

[ma re]

24k can be highly polished (look at gold bullion for example), but the reason why 24k jewellery is rarely made in delicate designs is because; a) due to lack of strenght it''s probably easier to make a more substantial piece, and b) due to the same reason it''s safer to wear a heavier high karat piece as it''s less likely to bend or lose it''s shape.

If however, you''re asking why those pieces are not as well made all too often, there are also several reasons. For instance, lack of tensile strenght in the metal requires a greater degree of skill and attention to detail if you''d like to make a piece as precisely as it''s made in lower purities. But also it''s because craftsmen are often not as skilled as some other, and their workshops are not as equiped (we''re talking mostly jewellers from certain parts of the world here). Another thing to consider is that in some countries (like India), jewellery is sold by weight and has a value almost the same as currency (it''s convertible to money at any time with a minimal loss of value), while labor is very cheap and mark-ups low, so the point is often to sell as much jewellery as possible in terms of weight, without paying much attention to workmanship (as long as it looks reasonably nice i.e. nice enough to sell). In the west on the other hand, there are many additional costs, and if a jeweller wants to make the sale he has to (generally) make a higher quality piece, cause wages of his staff, rent for the shop etc. are all much higher than in many Asian countries and all go into the price of jewellery.

P. S. There are also reasons why in some places you''ll not as often find highly polished gold pieces; a) lack of polish means easier, faster and cheaper production, and b) some cultures prefer very bright colors of metal and unpolished gold has a very distinct and very vivid shade of yellow, which folks in the west might consider a bit over the top so it''s questionable how that would reflect sales.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I love the color. Is it very soft? ETA ok, yes I see it is. I adore the necklace! Can we see a neck shot?

 

[chrono]

Date: 12/30/2009 9:17:48 AM
Author: MakingTheGrade
Thanks Chrono! It''s heavy, but not so big that I can''t wear it to a cocktail type party and pair it with a little black dress type of number. It''s definitely not an everyday type of piece though.

And yes! I love the itty bitty baby jewelery! In China it''s customary to bling out babies in little golden chinese padlocks. It''s supposed to protect them from evil spirits. Anyways, I''m probably going to have my mom pick out a small 24k pendant for any future children in their zodiac sign to wear around when they are small. I just think it''s super cute to see little asian babies wearing traditional gold presents.

MTG,
I didn''t know about the padlock thing for babies in China. My boys received pendants with their Chinese animal signs that they can wear when they are older. I''d be terribly upset if they lost it wearing it as a child. It''s great that your mother is planning to gift them with something very meaningful and special to remind them of her homeland.

 

[Rachel9]

Wonderful post ma re =-) I'd like to add, joining parts with Cadmium is still being used affecting pricing overseas.
I love ALL high K but I tend to choose 24k for earrings and necklaces where I wouldn't be abusing them so much....as for bracelets and rings 21k/22k has proved to held rather well for me, just my personal preference since I'm rough on those

Oh MTG....please take some pictures of the gold shops there if you can, please???? XOX

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Hey Chrono,

I actually wrote the explanation incorrectly, the padlocks were originally to "lock" the baby''s spirit to the earth to keep them here. This was back in the day when newborns would often die before in the first few months often with little explanation.

There was a whole section in the jewelery store with mini gold padlocks, heh.