Gold is Forever

For centuries all over the world, people rush to mine gold when it is found in an area because it has always been one of the most valuable commodities that you can buy or sell. Gold is also used as basis for currencies while it has remained as a worldwide symbol for opulence.

When it comes to romance, love is often expressed in the form of gold; the purer the gold, the more serious the pursuit. It isn’t just the cost of buying real gold that somehow sends that point across but the impression and even illusion created that one most likely had to deny himself certain things in order to afford the expensive 24K gold.

For a buyer, however, there is nothing more disappointing than paying for something that isn’t worth its cost. When looking at a gold chain, how do you then figure out its true value? Here are some factors to consider when buying gold.

Karat is a unit used to measure the purity of gold alloys. If a gold chain is 24 karats, for example, this means that for every 24 parts of the alloy that makes up the piece, 24 parts or all of it is pure gold. If the chain is 18 karats, this means that only 18 parts of the alloy are pure gold while 6 parts are made up of other metals.

If the purity of the gold is expressed in parts per thousand, a three-digit number will show such as one that reads “750”. To determine its purity, simply divide the number by 1000, and then multiply it by 24. In this example, the answer is 18; therefore, the item consists of 18 karats pure gold. In percentage, it can be said that the chain is 75% pure gold.

Still, the best way to test the purity of the gold is to take it to the local jeweller who can gladly do it using techniques learned from years of experience.