Buying gold jewellery can be an important investment decision besides just being jewellery purchase. And since there are types and varieties in gold being informed will help you select the gold you truly desire. Here is your guide to gold.

Gold Karats

Karat is term used to measure the purity of gold. 24 karat gold or 24K gold is the purest form of gold available in nature. But pure gold is very soft and malleable and cannot be practically used in jewellery. Therefore gold is mixed with different metals to form an alloy that can be shaped and crafted in to jewellery. 23K is the considered to be the highest quality gold for gold jewellery with more than 90% of pure gold mixed with less than 10% of alloy. 22K gold jewellery also remains popular in India. However for gemstone studded jewellery, including diamond jewellery, gold needs to be sturdy enough to hold the stones securely. Therefore gemstone studded jewellery is often set in 18K gold. The lower the Karat goes, the lesser pure the gold remains and the lesser value in terms of cost it has. In western countries jewellery in 10K or even 9K is very popular. But in India the trend is towards higher purity and anything less than 18K is usually not preferred.

Mixing different metals with gold not just results in varying quality but also gives gold different colors. Yellow is the original color of gold. Mixing whiter metals such as rhodium and titanium gives gold a white gleam which is similar to platinum. Mixing gold with metals like copper gives gold a pinkish hue known as rose gold. Traditionally in India only yellow gold was used. But in recent times white gold has become very popular.

While buying gold jewellery be sure to look for the Hallmark stamp of authenticity for gold. The Hallmark stamp is different from the stamp of the jeweler; Hallmark is the globally accepted gold authentication stamp that certifies the gold quality in the jewellery.

While shopping for gold jewellery it is important to choose a jeweler whom you can trust. Check the gold prices for the day in the news paper to be sure you are not being duped into paying some fancy amount. Buying gold jewellery online can be a great idea too given you has verified the details of the online seller. In case of online gold purchase look for trust seals on the website and to be sure you might want to contact the certifying organizations.