GOLD

In its pure state, gold is incorruptible, meaning it does not rust, it is eternal, unchangeable, homogeneous, and easily transportable. It can be found all over the world, in mines and in watercourses. In particular, there are two types of gold: primary and secondary.
Gold is found in rock formations when they contain a large amount. In rock formations, other precious metals such as silver or quartz are often found as well.
Gold is also present in small watercourses and in the sands of some rivers, resulting from the erosion and washing that the waters have produced by passing through the rocks.

PROCESSING

Pure gold is a very soft metal. For this reason, jewelry is not made of pure gold: it would wear out very quickly.
The metals that bond with pure gold are various: silver, copper, and palladium are the most commonly used. The value is also in relation to the amount of precious metal and second metal present.
These metals give it the necessary hardness for the creation of jewelry. The various combinations of gold with other metals are called alloys.

ALLOYS

The different mixtures give gold different shades from the original solar yellow:
  • Gold-yellow: silver and copper
  • Pale yellow: little copper, a lot of silver
  • Gold-pink: a lot of copper, little silver
  • Red gold: copper
  • White gold: palladium
  • Green gold: silver
  • Purple gold: aluminum
  • Blue gold: cobalt

THE TITLE

The title refers to the amount of gold present in the alloy that composes the jewel, measured in thousandths per gram. The carat is a unit of measurement that corresponds to 41.6 thousandths of a gram of gold in the alloy. These are the commonly used titles for making jewelry:
  • 8 carats = 333 thousandths of a gram
  • 12 carats = 500 thousandths of a gram
  • 14 carats = 585 thousandths of a gram
  • 18 carats = 750 thousandths of a gram
  • 22 carats = 916 thousandths of a gram
  • 24 carats = 999 thousandths of a gram