Gold jewelry 14K, 18K or 24K gold?
The gold content of gold jewelry is indicated in carats, where 24 carats (24K) means pure 100% gold. Due to the softness of gold, jewelry is usually not made of pure gold, but a different amount of alloy metals are mixed with the gold, both to improve its durability, but also to reduce manufacturing costs, because gold is expensive, these alloy metals are not. The most valuable gold jewelry is made of 18K and 22K gold, where the gold's share of the total weight is significant, and the jewelry has a real value according to the gold it contains.
The more real gold a piece of jewelry contains, the greater its value, both as an investment and as jewelry, naturally. 18K jewelry already contains 75% of real gold and is the most common option universally. In some traditional gold-valuing countries like India, the highest demand is for 22K gold jewelry, which is 91.7% pure gold. The value of such jewelry is preserved because of the gold they contain, and the resale value is also always higher than 14K "gold jewelry" often called "trinket gold" or even less real gold. Unfortunately, Finland is a country where most people settle for these "trinket gold jewelry", 14K or even less, and a whole chapter of gold-plated jewelry where there is practically no gold at all. The share of gold in these pieces of jewelry remains so small that the price mainly consists of manufacturing costs and the costs and margins of various intermediate steps, and such jewelry does not have much real value or resale value.
In real 18K and 22K gold jewelry, the price normally consists mainly of the gold it contains, which retains its value, and when the price of gold rises, so does the value of the jewelry. In this sense, genuine 18K or purer gold jewelry can also be an investment! The gold content is also of great importance to the appearance and weight of the jewelry. In a real 18K or purer piece of jewelry, the color is a genuine golden yellow, the characteristic sparkle of gold is at a completely different level than in those containing less gold, and also the weight separates real gold jewelry from these "trinket gold jewelry". In genuine 18K and 22K gold jewelry, the high specific gravity of the gold gives the jewelry the sense of dignity it deserves, even for the wearer.
When buying gold jewelry, always make sure the actual gold content of the jewelry, and the amount of pure gold contained in the jewelry. By comparing the gold to the market price, you can quickly see what the real value of the piece is, and how much "air" there is in the price, manufacturing and other ancillary costs, as well as the costs and margins of the various sales steps.
You will not find jewelry containing 14K "trinket gold" in the Gemtrade selection. In our carefully selected jewelry selections, all gold jewelry has at least 18K (75%) gold content, and the selling price of the jewelry is always mainly based on the gold it contains. Even so, our prices are often even cheaper than many stores' 10-14K trinket gold jewelry! Our jewelry is mainly made by our partners in the Arab countries, where the thousand-year-old traditions and appreciation for gold jewelry, and the respect for gold and the quality of the work are in line with it. Thanks to our extremely light but expert procurement and sales organization, you don't pay for unnecessary ancillary costs, but our prices are mostly
even below competitors 10K-14K trinkets!
Gemtrade Gems
Gemtrade sells in-stock stones individually or in lots to jewelry artists, goldsmiths, investors, collectors and hobbyists. Both for companies and individuals. Our prices for the stones for sale are always below general wholesale prices, for pricing we mainly use the industry's most well-known and respected publication "The Gem Guide".
Our stones for sale in the online store are not "surpluses", but on the contrary, stones that our experts "couldn't leave without buying" during their procurement trips. Particularly fine/rare/good quality stones for the price. Because our Gemmologists acquire the stones as close as possible to their source, bypassing many normal high-margin intermediate steps on the way of the raw stone from the mine to the goldsmith's engagement ring or necklace, we are able to pass the stones on at significantly cheaper prices than the wholesale level!
All the stones we sell, starting with the 5 euro citrines, are examined and evaluated by GIA certified Gemologists (GIA Graduate Gemologist, GIA Accredited Jewelry Professional), so you cannot get a better guarantee of the authenticity and quality of the stones. A certificate/quality certificate, written by a GIA Gemmologist, is also available for each stone. There are also imitations and imitations on sale, because these too have their own value both as a jewelry stone and, for example, in educational use, and it has always been clearly stated about these stones that they are not genuine, but imitations or imitations, and also what material they actually are.
Those interested in gemstones should remember that online stores are full of outright scammers, where the item for sale is often completely different from what is described in the description. A typical eBay "diamond" or "natural sapphire" is actually glass or at most Cubic Zirconia (CZ) material, or synthetic instead of natural stone. Even in Finnish markets, barely gem-quality stone, mostly translucent due to inclusions and cracks, is constantly being sold as "eye-clean" stone, "Top10", "+++ quality", "best color, top quality" etc. with meaningless and misleading descriptions. Stones from which an expert can immediately see even from bad pictures that the stone may not even be classifiable, due to poor quality/color/grinding, etc. Not to mention the imitations and synthetic stones that are sold as genuine natural stones, either out of ignorance or pure fraud. Always require the stone you buy to have an examination or opinion from a qualified expert, or a certificate from a respected and trusted entity. Only then can you be sure that you will get what you order. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is arguably the most respected player in the industry, and the developer of many grading standards. With the expertise of GIA or a GIA-certified gemmologist, you ensure that the stone is what is claimed. The mere "warranty certificate" or "certificate" presented by the seller does not say anything, because anyone can write a note, or even print a nice plastic card called a "certificate", but which has no value when determining the quality and authenticity of the stone. Or when buying and reselling stone.