METALS AND HALLMARKING
How to identify and choose your favourite gold carat and colour
I work primarily in Fairmined gold but can also use recycled or Fairtrade metals, in 9ct, 14ct and 18ct yellow, white and red (rose) gold. Please read on to learn more about the different properties of metal and hallmarking to work out which one is right for you.
Carats And Hallmarking
All of my gold jewellery and some larger silver pieces will be hallmarked. It is the law to hallmark gold jewellery that weighs over 1 gram and silver jewellery that weighs over 7.78 grams.
The carat of a piece of metal tells you how much gold there is in the metal in proportion to the other metals that it has been alloyed with.
The hallmarking standards are:
Sterling Silver ~ 925 (92.5% silver)
9ct - 375 (37.5% gold)
14ct - 585 (58.5% gold)
18ct - 750 (75% gold)
If a piece of jewellery is ‘mixed metal’ it will be hallmarked with the least precious metal. For example, a piece that is made with silver and gold would be hallmarked as 925 with a ‘part mark’ for the gold.
Gold: Hardness Vs. Durability
Pure 24ct gold is very soft and so it is alloyed with other metals to add strength, hardness & durability.
Satin Finish
Yellow Gold
18ct yellow gold has traditionally been the preferred option for wedding and engagement rings. The pure gold is alloyed with various combinations of copper and silver to give the different carats and colours.
18ct has durability, however 9ct and 14ct are both strong and durable and can offer an affordable option that will look good for a lifetime.
Polished Finish
White Gold
White gold is pure (yellow) gold that has been alloyed with either silver for 9ct or palladium for 18ct to produce a white/grey colour. White gold varies from very bright to quite grey. It's strong neutral colour allows gemstones to really stand out.
When working in 18ct, I only use palladium white gold and never rhodium plate as it wears off over time and requires re-plating. Rhodium-plated white gold is very bright white, but personally I love the darker grey colour of 14ct and 18ct palladium white gold which is similar in colour to platinum.
Because 18ct white gold is alloyed with palladium it is both hard and durable.