All About Gold: Types, Karat, Composition, Durability (TKCD)

Stamps:
In the United States of America, it is required by the National Gold and Silver Marking Act of 1906, that all gold products be marked with a stamp of at least 1.5 karat of the stamp. It is considered unlawful to willfully stamp jewelry that is not a certain percent gold. This is the standard of fineness in gold jewelry. If there is ever a time you receive a piece of jewelry from GEMaffair.com that does not have a gold stamp, please contact us so we can have your jewelry appropriately stamped. Mistakes rarely occur, but when they do we will stand by our products.

Gold (Yellow & White):
Gold is by far the most popular type of metal quality used when making jewelry. The most popular karat used in jewelry is 14K. A question we get far too often is, “What’s the difference between karats and what type of karat will last a long time?” If you are measuring a piece of 10K jewelry against one that is 14K, you can expect the 14K weight to be more, because gold is heavier than the other metals mixed with the gold. Pure gold is not typically used in gold jewelry. While it is the most expensive and most malleable type of gold, it is not durable. Listed below are the various components and percentile of gold within yellow gold jewelry

Metal	Percent	Other Components
10K Yellow Gold	41.7%	copper, silver, zinc, nickel
12K Yellow Gold	50%	copper, silver, zinc, nickel
14K Yellow Gold	58.5%	copper, silver, zinc, nickel
16K Yellow Gold	66%	copper, silver, zinc, nickel
18K Yellow Gold	75%	copper, silver, zinc, nickel
20K Yellow Gold	83%	copper, silver, zinc, nickel
22K Yellow Gold	91%	copper, silver, zinc, nickel
24K Yellow Gold	99.9%	copper, silver, zinc, nickel, x<0.1%

White gold is made up of other metallic components in contrast to yellow gold. It was first introduced in an attempt to imitate platinum. While yellow gold is almost always the same components (percent varying) to give it that ‘yellow’ color, white gold describes any gold metal combination with a white hue. Often, platinum will be used for a greater/heavier weight and durability as one of the components of white gold; the percentage of other metals in white gold ranges in percent and type of metal.

White gold can be made up of nickel (which is good for malleability), palladium, manganese, titanium, platinum, and more. The design and type of ring are often predetermined by jewelers before they are made. 22K to 24K white gold bands do not exist. By definition, white gold contains a white hue, and 24K pure gold is a yellow metal. It is difficult to remove all other particles from yellow gold, so pure gold is typically 99.9% gold metal.

Metal	Percent	Other Components
10K White Gold	41.7%	usually nickel, palladium or manganese
12K White Gold	50%	usually nickel, palladium or manganese
14K White Gold	58.5%	usually nickel, palladium or manganese
16K White Gold	66%	usually nickel, palladium or manganese
18K White Gold	75%	usually nickel, palladium or manganese
20K White Gold	83%	usually nickel, palladium or manganese
22K White Gold	91%	Does not exist
24K White Gold	100%	CANNOT COMPUTE, DOES NOT EXIST

Next UP in PART II, we will cover PURPLE gold as well as a brief history and explanation for why 10K gold in Brazil is still considered gold, but in Europe the lowest gold rating is 18K. Tune in and subscribe!

Jewelry Vocabulary Guide

Here’s a brief jewelry vocabulary guide, I would like to eventually expand with the help of our awesome readers!

Bezel – The metal around a stone that keeps it in place, e.g. sterling silver bezel.
Bezel set – Stone kept in place by the use of prongs.
Cut – The type of shape the gem is ‘cut’ into. The cut is either faceted or non-faceted, e.g. cabochon cut. Here’s a brief guide to cuts, more to come later. Cut is graded into excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor cuts.

• Brilliant Cut– It’s a facet cut that ensures that when light reflects, it gives a unique burst of brightness, almost like radiating fire.
  
• Cabochon– A stone that is flat at the bottom, but round on top; smooth without facets like a pebble
  
• Fancy Cut– Several possible shapes, such as kite-shaped, lozenge shaped, triangular.
  
• Mixed Cut– Usually rounded in outline, cut as brilliants with pavilions step-cut. Rubies and sapphires are the easiest to shape into a mixed cut.
  
• Step Cut – Step cuts come in a variation of shapes; oval, square, octagons, baguettes, and general table cuts. The step cut is also known at the ‘emerald cut’. This cut intensifies the hue of a color.
  

Carat – A measurement of gem weight.
Clarity – Gemstone grading; a lower amount of clarity signifies stones for of inclusions and less pleasing to look at.

Grade	FL	IF	VVS1, VVS2	VS1, VS2	SI1, SI2	I1, I2, I3
Description	Flawless	Internally Flawless	Very Very Slightly Included	Very Slightly Included	Slightly Included	Included
Clarity Scale	0	0	1, 2	3, 4	5, 6	7, 8, 9, 10

Cavities –Formed during initial gem growth stages, inclusions filled with liquid, gasses, or solids.
Faceted – Jeweler cut sides, the polished planes of a gemstone.
Gauntlet – A bracelet that is oval and firmly set, with an opening in the back.
Gem – polished, cut precious stone used in jewelry.
Gem shape – Somewhat like a cut, but referring to the shape of the stone. E.g. pear cut, trillion cut, and cushion cut.
Gemstone – Semiprecious or precious stone polished and cut to use as a gem.
Inclusions – Internal flaws or blemishes; often associated with clarity. Inclusions are also used to identify types of stones. Inclusions are divided into three categories, cavities, solids, and growth phenomena.
Growth Phenomena – Hollow cavities fill by iron components; examples: solid crystals, naturally occurring glass.
Jewels – Polished and cut precious stone; gem.
Karats – Measurement of gold weight.
Marcasites –Crystalline pyrites cut/shaped to look like diamonds, popular kind of jewelry from the 1700s to the 1800s until in the 1900s marcasites were cut from class and metal.
Metal – Sterling silver, silver toned, silver plating, yellow gold, white gold
Ring Size – Ring gauge in circumference, varies by country.
Treatment – Done to change the shade, hue, or variance of a stone. Different treatments include oiling, heating, irradiation, dying, bleaching, coating, impregnation, filing, lasering, etc.

Mystic Fire Topaz – Blinded by the Light

Mystic fire topaz jewelry is in -  and we don’t just mean in stock – we mean on the hands of style mavens everywhere.

It’s become a popular choice for fashionable women everywhere because it’s unlike any other gemstone.  It has a personality; it changes with the light; it seems to speak.

Mystic fire begins life as a plain white topaz gemstone.  It is then treated with titanium atoms in a process created by Azotic Coating Technology in 1998.  The treatment creates a rainbow of colors that dance through the stone as light reflects off the multi-facted surface of the gemstone.  Though treated, all types of mystic fire topaz gemstones retain the exact same properties as a genuine normal topaz.  It is still an 8 (very, very hard) on the Mohs scale of hardness and still retains the same chemical makeup.  Just consider mystic fire pieces those with a style conscious who went in for an upgrade; one that paid off exponentially.

Since the treatment can be controlled, there are multiple variations of mystic fire topaz, so there’s a color palate perfect for your style.

Green Mystic Fire Topaz

The most popular style is green mystic fire topaz jewelry.  In fact, most people believe this is the only type of mystic fire topaz there is, but you’ll know better.  With this variety, green is the predominant color, but the luminescent beauty flashes  with rich purples, deep blues, magentas and golds.  This type is commonly used in cocktail rings for its impressive presentation or set as earrings, pendants and bracelets. Since the stone itself is so enigmatic, green mystic fire is perfect in almost any cut or any setting.

Twilight Mystic Fire Topaz

A second favorite, though no less beautiful than its cousin, is perfect for summer and fall.  Called twilight mystic fire topaz, this variation glows with bright oranges, pastel pinks and gold twinkles; the stone looks as though it’s captured the beauty of the world’s most captivating sunrise, which is fitting because topaz has been tied to the sun since ancient times.  This season, we’re seeing lots of twilight mystic rings in unique cuts, gold rimmed earrings and elegant twilight tennis bracelets for an unforgettable look.

Sea Mist Mystic Fire Topaz

More rare than the previous two types of mystic fire topaz is the sea mist topaz.  This beautiful creation features an alluring combination of light blues, turquoise, varying shades of aqua, subtle purples and a hint of pink definitely makes an impression.  The soft translucent stone seems alive with all the colors of the Caribbean.  Since it is more rare than the other varieties, look for this piece as a bold cocktail ring or a vibrant pendant.  If your heart belongs to the sea, this is definitely a stone you need to have in your collection; it’s simply stunning – there’s nothing else like it.

Ecstasy Mystic Fire Topaz

An iteration of twilight mystic fire topaz, ecstasy mystic fire topaz is similar in color, but trades some of the orange for more magenta and pink.  Often, the two are confused because the ecstasy version of mystic fire is not as recognized by name.  Many of the pieces are actually marketed as twilight mystic fire (this is common in the industry).  For example, smoky topaz isn’t a topaz at all, but actually a type of quartz. While our site doesn’t make the distinction between the two, you can tell by looking for those with more pink.  With more pink than orange, ecstasy mystic fire is perfect for those with a more playfully feminine style. If you have any questions, you can always reach a jewelry concierge through LiveSupport on the site or call us at 1-800-471-GEMS.

The stone of many disguises

The only problem with finding mystic fire jewelry is that there tend to be quite a few varieties and even more names for them.  Mystic fire topaz jewelry has also been called Alaskan topaz, Alaskan Ice topaz, Caribbean topaz (no doubt due to the sea mist variety),  titanium topaz after the way it’s created and, for obvious reasons, rainbow topaz.  Regardless of what you call it.  It’s beautiful.

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, right?

Cleaning Mystic Fire Topaz Jewelry

Since all mystic fire topaz pieces are, at heart, a traditional topaz, they retain their tough exterior so they are difficult to chip or damage.  However, since they’ve undergone some plastic surgery, you may want to keep your stones away from high temperatures and steam.  This means no ultrasonic cleaners, no harsh chemicals (it might strip away the titanium treatment that makes mystic fire so vivacious), and no steam cleaners.  The easiest and most effective way to clean mystic fire is with warm water, a mild soap or detergent, a 100% cotton cloth or a child’s soft bristled toothbrush.  A quick cleaning like this will remove any buildup from wear and keep your mystic fire jewelry sparkling brightly.