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Sunday, June 27, 2010

Gold Guide




From the first discoveries of gold in ancient times, its beauty and the ease with which it could be worked inspired craftsmen to create it into ornaments, not just for adornment, but as symbols of wealth and power. The skills of the goldsmith from ancient Egypt to Benvenuto Cellini or Carl Faberge still amaze us. As Pindar wrote nearly 2,500 years ago, "Gold is the child of Zeus, neither moth nor rust devoureth it". Today, gold jewelry is more a mass- market product, although in many countries still treasured as a basic form of saving. jewelry fabrication is the crucial cornerstone of the gold market, annually consuming all gold that is newly mined.
Pure gold is used in those parts of the world where jewelry is purchased as much for in- vestment as it is for adornment, but it tends to be vulnerable to scratching. Elsewhere, it is usually mixed, or alloyed, with other metals. Not only do they harden it, but influence the color; white shades are achieved by alloying gold with silver, nickel or palladium; red alloys contain mainly copper. A harder alloy is made by adding nickel or a tiny percentage of titanium.



The proportion of gold in jewelry is measured on the carat (or karat) scale. The word carat comes from the carob seed, which was originally used to balance scales in Oriental bazaars. Pure gold is designated 24 carat, which compares with the "fineness" by which bar gold is defined.

Carat
Fineness
Gold
24
1000
%100
22
916.7
%91.67
18
750
%75
14
583.3
%58.3
10
416.7
%41.6
9
37.5
%37.5

The most widely used alloys for jewelry in Europe are 18 and 14 carat, although 9 carat is popular in Britain. Portugal has a unique designation of 19.2 carats. In the United States 14 carat predominates, with some 10 carat. In the Middle East, India and South East Asia, jewelry is traditionally 22 carat (sometimes even 23 carat). In China, Hong Kong and some other parts of Asia, "chuk kam" or pure gold jewelry of 990 fineness (almost 24 carat) is popular.

In many countries the law requires that every item of gold jewelry is clearly stamped with its cartage. This is often controlled through hallmarking, a system which originated in London at Goldsmiths' Hall in the 14th century. Today it is compulsory in such countries as Britain, France, the Netherlands, Morocco, Egypt, and Bahrain. Where there is no compulsory marking manufacturers themselves usually stamp the jewelry both with their own individual identifying mark and the cartage or fineness.

The European Commission wants to introduce a common system for guaranteeing standards of fineness within member countries of the European Community. Three strictly supervised systems are possible; either I) Hall- marking, 2) Quality control, according to the European norm on quality (EN 29000), or 3) Certificate of conformity by manufacturers, control- led by an independent third party.
Until recently the earliest known gold jewelry was believed to date from the Summer civilization, which inhabited what is now southern Iraq around 3000 BC. Recent discoveries suggest however that goldsmith first began on the shores of the Black Sea, in the land that is today Bulgaria.

Articles displaying various techniques such as repose, chain- making, alloying and casting have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, with the best known examples coming from the treasures of King Tutankhamun who died in 1352 BC. The Minoans on Crete produced the first known cable chain, still very popular today, and the Etruscans in Italy had developed granulation, whereby items are decorated with tiny granules of gold, by the 7th century BC.

Italy has remained at the forefront of the gold jewelry industry. The Italian Renaissance coincided with the discoveries of the New World sources of gold, and wealthy Italian patrons encouraged goldsmiths as they did painters and sculptors. The Spanish acquisition of South American gold, however, was achieved at the expense of the ancient heritage of Pre-Columbian goldsmiths. These craftsmen were producing exquisite items as early as 1200 BC and their art reached its zenith during the Chimu civilisation from the 12th to the I5th centuries AD, halted only by the mass looting and slaughter by the "conquistadors".

Historically, gold was a rare metal, afforded only by the wealthy. But the gold rushes to California and Australia in the mid- 19th century ushered in a new dimension of gold supply. They coincided, too, with the development of machinery for making chain and other articles and of a much wider consumer market. In the 20th century gold jewelry has come within the pocket of most people.

The way ahead was pointed by Italy, which has become jewelry manufacturer to the world, using over 400 tones of gold annually, more than two- thirds of it for export. Factories often housing several hundred ma- chines that "knit" gold wire into chain flourish in the towns of Arezzo, Bassano del Grappa and Vicenza.

Important new centers emerged in the early 1990s, notably in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, catering particularly for the rapidly growing market for chukka am (pure gold) jewelry in China, which requires several hundred tones a year. In Japan jewelry fabrication for the domestic market has become a major industry, using around 100 tones a year.

Attitudes to jewelry still vary. In the industrial countries gold jewelry is primarily a fashion item. But in the Middle East and much of Asia gold ornaments are seen equally as investment; 22 carat articles are bought on a low mark-up of only 10-20 per cent over the gold price of the day, and may be traded in at a profit if the price rises or, more often, for new articles.

The importance of jewelry to the gold mining industry cannot be under-estimated. Between 1970 and 1992 around 65 per cent of all gold available to the market was used in jewelry, and from the late 1980's into the 1990's, it absorbed much of the rise in production. Since 1991 over 2,000 tones of gold has been used annually. The continuing success of the mining industry is inextricably linked with the fortunes of the jewelry trade.



With increasing interest everywhere in gold jewelry, it is now available in more designs and patterns than ever before. While you might choose to have several designs or styles, it is important to remember that every gold ornament needs to be cared for in a special way.

Storage solutions
When you buy gold jewelry, make sure that it is given to you in a box with a satin or velvet lining. Gold ornaments should not be kept in pouches, because this will cause scratching and wearing away of gold when the gold pieces brush against each other. This is even more likely if the ornament is studded with diamonds or other hard gemstones.

Ideally, two different gold ornaments should not be kept in the same box. Wrapping smaller items of jewelry individually in tissue paper before keeping them in the box safeguards them from scratches.

Keep it clean
It is best to use a soft cleaning cloth, chamois leather or synthetic chamois to clean your jewelry. A good gold cleaning liquid is also useful for maintaining the shining glory of your gold jewelry.
When cleaning your jewelry, always use soft, non-abrasive material. A good cleaning liquid may be used for intricate jewelry with delicate links, which a cloth may not reach. Once in a while, gold ornaments should be cleaned by dropping them into boiling water in which a pinch of sodium bicarbonate has been added, for just half a minute. Drop one piece of jewelry at a time and remove it. Then wipe it immediately with a soft cloth.

Family Heirlooms
Always handle family heirlooms and antique jewelry very delicately. Wipe them with a soft cloth, or get them cleaned by a reliable jeweler.

Never jumble jewels in very small containers. Remember also to keep your genuine gold jewelry away from costume jewelry. Always keep jewelry of different karatages separately.

So, now that you know exactly how to make sure that your gold stays as brilliant and radiant as on the day that you got it; just follow these golden rules of gold care.

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