About Gold Jewelry

Gold is Timeless

Since the dawn of time the radiant splendor of gold has captivated mankind and this has made gold the most sought-after metal in the world.  In ancient Egypt, gold and gold adornments were reserved for the Pharaoh as it was the metal of the Sun God, Ra, who was the Giver of Life and held dominion over all other gods. Coincidentally, this same metal was attributed to other Sun Gods such as Kinich Ahau of the Ancient Mayan Culture (Central America), Inti of the Ancient Inca (South America) and Apollo of Ancient Greece (Southern Europe).  Even today gold is widely used in religious ceremonies, such as weddings in India where the bride and groom are adorned in 24 karat gold jewelry and is believed to bring good fortune to the newly weds.  Gold is also a color of good luck in the Chinese culture and is often paired with the color red.

So what is 14 Karat Gold?

  
To answer that, you need to understand that 24 karat gold is 100% pure gold.  Every other number  from 23 to 1 is nothing more than a fraction over a denominator of 24 ie: 14/24 = 58.3333% gold.  Any item claiming to be 14 karat  gold must be at least 58.33% gold in its entirety (ie: not gold plated).  The remaining balance of metals in higher quality gold jewelry is usually a mix of copper, silver, palladium, and zinc; and in the case of white gold, rhodium, which provides the glistening white finish that has allowed white gold to become an acceptable substitute for platinum, especially with gemstones, so well.  Other colors, such as pink/rose/red gold have a higher concentration of copper in the alloy mixture.

Is all 14 Karat Gold created Equal?

No.  OroLatina only uses the finest manufacturers in Italy, Turkey and the United States.  OroLatina does this because it is with these manufacturers that the highest quality materials are used, particularly in the non-gold portion of our 14 karat gold jewelry.  Disreputable manufacturers use less-than precious metals in place of more expensive elements such as silver, palladium and zinc as described above.  There are many people that believe they are allergic to gold jewelry when in fact they are actually allergic to one or more components in poor quality 10K, 14K and 18K gold.  These cheaper elements include nickel and tin.  Look for both a 14K marking on all gold jewelry AND an  Italy, Turkey or USA imprint as well.