What is Gold vs. Gold filled?
Gold has long represented status and prosperity. The ‘K’ stands for Karat and denotes the amount of pure gold mixed with alloy metals in your piece. Different countries have different karatage standards for the use of gold and gold products. 24K is considered pure gold in the US, but jewelry in the US can go from 10K to 24K with the percentages of gold being 41.7 percent for 10K, 58.3 percent for 14K, 75 percent for 18K, 91.7 percent for 22K, and 100 percent for 24K. Gold Filled “gf” is a solid layer of gold bonded with heat and pressure onto a base metal. Please do not confuse this with Gold Plating! Gold Filled pieces of jewelry are 50 to 100,000 times thicker than Gold Plating. Gold Filled is considered a life time product, has a low incidence of an allergic reaction, and is a better value for your dollar. Solid Gold is best for pieces like wedding rings and jewelry you wear every day. Since it is soft though scratches must be routinely polished off. How do I clean my Gold jewelry?
