Wednesday, 6 March 2019

When Its Gold-Filled

There's always a conflict when you mention gold, gold plated, karat-gold and gold-filled. I don't blame you because it was the same for me before I got into jewelry making. I would simply explain a bit of each of them to help you understand better the topic I want to discuss.

Gold is a precious metal which occurs in the soil. At its natural or pure state (not mixed with any other metal), it's 24-karat, 99.9% pure, and is so soft that it can't really be used to make lasting jewelries. It's also very brittle  but can be used for other purposes. Of course, you know it's very expensive.

Gold plated is any item electroplated in gold.  The coating is so thin that the amount of gold used is insignificant. This makes it wear off easily overtime to reveal or expose the metal beneath, giving it the tarnishing effect. Gold plated jewelry is rather inexpensive.

Karat-gold is when other metals are introduced into the pure gold, making it an alloy. Now, there are different levels of karat. Apart from 24-karat, we have 22-karat (91.6% gold), 18-karat (75%), 14-karat (58.3%), 10-karat (41.7%) and 9-karat (37.5%). So the higher the gold obviously, the more expensive.

Gold-Filled on the other hand, is when jewelry is thickly coated with any of the karat gold. This actually protects the metal beneath, preventing it from deteriorating. It could last for a very longtime and looks good enough to be mistaken for the real karat-gold. These pieces are quite expensive but not as much as the real karat-gold.

I never really believed gold-filled jewelries would last or have any lasting impression because I never made or wore one. This changed until I got my 14-karat gold-filled wire (20g) and other accessories to create my first complete set. I didn't have any expectations; I just wanted to make something gold-filled and see what happens!

It was a long tedious wire jewelry made with jump rings and swarovski crystals, which took hours. I had to coil my wire into rings, cut the rings then begin linking them with the swarovski crystals before closing them tightly to create this intricate necklace and earrings.

I LOVED THEM!

I was in for a shock when I put them out for sale. People were quick to question its price and asked if it was real gold. I had to continuously explain the process and fundaments, but to no avail. So, that was the end of my creation of any gold-filled piece. For years it wasn't sold so I never bothered to put it out again for sale. I kept it for myself and my oh my was I waiting for the right opportunity to rock it!

The chance presented itself during my daughter's  secondary school graduation in 2012. I wore it with a black and gold dress. The multiple complements I received restored my faith and gave me hope!
Today, its a lot easier as people are more aware. 9 years since it was made now, I recently wore the set and it was as marvelous as ever!

The point here is if it's not karat-gold, it's okay and the jewelry can be just as stunning. However, if you can afford the karat-gold please go ahead. If not, you can confidently rock gold-filled jewelry which can last almost as long as the karat- gold

This design is created with swarovski crystals and is 14-karat gold-filled. It can be customized to fit r your preferences. Please let me know, if you have any gold-filled jewelry, your experience and how long you've have it.

Questions? Will be glad to take them.

Enjoy the week!








4 comments:

  1. Hmmm, surprising how little we know about the details that go into certain things. This has enlightened me. Thanks and continue creating memories.

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    Replies
    1. Knowlege they say is power. The more we learn and know the better we become. I'm glad I have contributed a tiny bit to yours. Thank you so much.

      Delete
  2. Wow... really learnt alot from ur write-up.thanks for d information.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad yo hear. That's truly the reason. Thanks dear

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