Diamonds may be a girls best friend, but the terminology of the jewelry industry could trick some ladies. This guide of terminology can help find you way around a jewelry store.
One common source of confusion is the different terms for carat and karat. A carat refers to the weight of a diamond. The term karat refers to the purity of gold with the various karat values.
Pure gold will have the value of 24 karats and lesser karat values reflect the percentage of gold purity; 18 karats (75 percent gold), 14 karats (58 percent gold), and 10 karats (42 percent gold). The 10-18 karat range is the most commonly owned and worn type of gold, with the value also assigning the color of gold.
The 24 karat option is not too popular due to the soft nature and can in fact incur a scratch from a q-tip, with less durability for common wearing. In the manufacturing of gold products there are often additional metals added to create a harder, resistant material. The traditional gold will be of a yellow color, with rose (copper) and white (palladium) gold having added materials for the color.
There is also the difference between costume and semi-precious jewelry. Costume jewelry means the stones are not genuine that are usually made of glass or plastic. Semi-precious stones are genuine and of-nature, with a higher price.
The metals used for this kind of jewelry will reflect different price points as well. Plated metals (dipped in silver or gold) are more common in costume jewelry, having a six month to three years until tarnishing. Another higher grade metal used are 14 karat gold filled chains and sterling silver, good option for a longer-lasting metal.
Remember these tips to be an expert for the next trip to the jewelry store. Check out the videos above for more jewelry tips and tricks.
