Cartier Rings

About 160 years ago, one simple word sent over a quarter-million people on a 2,000-mile trek over dirt roads with no bridges, no hotels, not even a single fast food restaurant! The word?

“GOLD!“

Since man first discovered shiny rocks, precious metals have captured the imagination of almost every human being and jewelry has been a popular way to win a spouse, reward a friend or just show off your wealth and good taste. Very few of us will own more than a coin or two, but most of us will, at some point, buy or receive jewelry in precious metals.

To prevent misrepresentation or fraud, the US jewelry industry is carefully regulated. Precious metals actually has a legal definition: Precious metals are gold, silver and platinum (or other “platinum group metals”–iridium, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium and osmium–but don’t expect to see them at the wedding ring counter). All others are commonly known as base metals or industrial metals.

Precious refers only to their use in jewelry; many base metals are extremely valuable–copper has been used in coins for millennia and rhenium costs nearly ten times as much as gold. Likewise, precious metals have industrial applications. Only two-thirds of gold and less that forty percent of silver become jewelry or coins. The rest goes to electronics, photography, medicine or elsewhere.

The other main point of US regulations is purity–always an important question when buying precious metal. In jewelry terms, purity is generally described in fineness or parts per thousand. The standard is 999 fine, meaning 99.9-percent pure. Alloys are sometimes abbreviated by parts: “900 gold 50 copper 50 nickel” or something similar.

Part of the precious metal mystique is tradition–silver and gold have been valued since ancient times. They are rare, but common enough to form a worldwide standard. They are workable, rust-free and they are one of the blings in bling-bling (the other being gems). The platinum group is a recent addition. Likewise, some industrial metals have now found their way into bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings because they have advantages over precious metals.

Types of precious metals

Gold

Gold has a magic all its own and rare is the person who does not react when hearing that word. Since man’s earliest records, gold coins and gold jewelry have been the ultimate mark of wealth. Gold’s purity is formally measured in fineness, but jewelers still use the traditional karat (abbreviated k or kt):

24k gold is pure gold (1000 fine)–too soft for jewelry but excellent for bribery, smuggling and similar enterprises

22k gold (916 fine) is the purest alloy commonly sold

18k gold (750 fine) has a deep, rich color

14k gold (585 fine) is stronger than 18k and makes more durable jewelry

10k gold (416 fine) is the legal minimum; lesser alloys may be marketed as gold tone but not as gold

Gold is naturally yellow, its shade varying with impurities or alloys. White gold is alloyed with nickel, platinum, iridium, palladium or plated with rhodium. Other alloys produce a variety of colors.

Gold filled is not what it sounds like; it isn’t something filled with gold, it’s gold filled with something, usually brass or silver. Thicker than gold-plated, it must be at least 5 percent gold by weight.

Silver

Silver is the most plentiful and the most widely used precious metal. Until the 19th Century, it was the money standard in most countries and almost every 21st Century home has silver jewelry, plated candlesticks, photographic film, coins, etc. Like gold, silver must be alloyed for hardness:

Sterling silver (often just called sterling) is the best-known; it’s any 925 fine alloy (92.5 percent silver 7.5 percent base metal)

Alpaca Mexico is generally around 900 fine

Jewelry silver is a specific 800 fine alloy–800 silver 200 copper

Silver’s one drawback is tarnish, but a new alloy, Platifina (Spanish for “fine silver”) is 925 silver 10 platinum 65 [oh, sorry, trade secret!]; it both durable and tarnish resistant. Platifina jewelry is available exclusively through Overstock.com.

A warning–some silver isn’t silver at all. “Nickel silver” (also “German silver” or “alpaca silver”) is an alloy of copper-nickel-zinc alloy (sometimes mixed with other, toxic, metals so its use is now restricted). It has the look of silver and was a low-priced substitute used mostly as base for silver-plating. These days, most nickel silver is used in nickels (5-cent coins are 750 copper 250 nickel).

Platinum

Platinum is another white metal. Brought to Europe by the Spanish Conquistadors, platinum jewelry was rare until the 19th Century and platinum only gained recognition as a monetary metal in the 1980s, but has become as popular among collectors and investors as it is among prospective grooms. Its composition is highly restricted:

Platinum at least 950 fine (sometimes abbreviated 950Pt) may be sold as platinum

Any alloy from 850 fine (850Pt) to 949 fine must be marked and sold as platinum alloy

Below 850 fine, the alloy cannot legally be sold in the US as platinum

Platinum jewelry costs more than gold because, compared to 22k, 18k or 14k gold, buyers get more precious metal with platinum jewelry. It could also be called a “new and improved white gold”–it is naturally white and stays that way (white gold does not). It is denser, more durable, holds gemstones more securely and is hypoallergenic. More rare than gold, few people will own anything other than a wedding set. Perhaps most important, platinum will not wear away; the ring, bracelet or necklace you buy today will be the same on your golden jubilee. (Perhaps we should change that to the platinum anniversary!)

Industrial metals

Certain base metals are becoming more popular in jewelry as their durability is recognized as a symbol of strength and permanence:

Titanium is widely used in–and is actually indispensable to–the aerospace industry; about a dozen alloys are in common use today

Tungsten-carbide–a compound of tungsten and carbon–forms super-dense alloys in products ranging from golf clubs to weapons

Stainless steel is an iron-carbon alloy known for centuries; modern steels number in the hundreds

Neither titanium rings nor tungsten-carbide rings will tarnish. Titanium is a little darker than silver, tungsten darker than titanium. They are particularly suited to active individuals. [If an activity might damage the jewelry, you don't want to find out what it could do to your hand!] For those with metal allergies, titanium is excellent; so good, it’s used in artificial hips. Stainless steel jewelry’s great advantage is as a low-cost alternative. It will not bend or break under normal usage, it doesn’t tarnish and is hypoallergenic.

Regardless of when or why you choose precious metal jewelry, get what suits you best for by knowing what to look for.

For more information:

All jewelry sold in the US must be clearly described according to regulations set by the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/guides/jewel-gd.shtm).

The Jewelry Information Center (http://www.jic.org) strives to be the source for consumer information on fine jewelry and watches.

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