When choosing jewelry, the majority we see are 18K gold jewelry, such as 18K gold bracelets, 18K gold necklaces, 18K gold rings, things like these.
In comparison, pure gold jewelry and platinum jewelry are less in varieties, so why is 18K gold jewelry more popular in the market? What are the merits of 18K gold jewelry?
In the world vogue of jewelry, K gold is always a mainstream and highly praised among a good many customers. Comparing with pure gold jewelry, 18K gold jewelry is characterized by perfect proportion of compositions, rare value of gold, better ductility, higher hardness and more variable colors than gold jewelry, which cater for jewelry designers’ unrestrained creativity as well as youngsters’ fashion demand for cool patterns and styles. For this reason, K gold jewelry has become a popular trend in fashion circle for long time.
Features of 18K gold
18K gold jewelry features high hardness, no deformation, wear resistance, high brightness, and relatively low price, diverse patterns, exquisite workmanship, easy maintenance and durability. In contrast, pure gold is too flexible to cater for complicated design. K gold jewelry is higher in labor cost, better in hardness and wear resistance, and able to fix diamond firmly.
Comparison of workmanship
18K gold jewelry is stricter in technical requirements than gold and platinum counterparts, including more than ten working procedures (Briquetting, drawing, heat treatment, electroplating etc), thus it features exquisite workmanship, refreshing appearance, smooth surface and intense internal light perception. Pure gold jewelry is relatively simple in workmanship and producible at common manual workshop; K gold jewelry is hard to make, which often needs to use many heavy-duty machinery and precision instruments, and more skilled processing personnel, resulting in increased cost and overhead. Moreover, ratio of raw materials of K gold jewelry is an important aspect, and pure gold jewelry is relatively less demanding in this respect.
Comparison of patterns and styles
Comparing with pure gold and platinum jewelry, 18K gold jewelry is more diverse in patterns and styles, and more technologically adaptive. Some patterns and styles of pure gold and platinum jewelry are producible for K gold jewelry, while it’s not the case in vice versa manner. Thanks to high hardness and low melting point, K gold is flexible for shaping and forming, enriched in expression, for making diversified patterns and styles, communicating more exquisite and abundant fashion message, in contrast, pure gold and platinum jewelry is much less diverse and more easily worn (More flexible than K gold). K gold jewelry is hard and expected for longer use, thus artistic quality is more underlined, professional designer is required; pure gold jewelry is more limited in the range of fashion, with traditional styles adopted in most cases, thus no complicated design is required.
Comparison of price
18K gold jewelry is more cost-effective in price than platinum counterparts. This is because 18K gold is an alloy comprising of 75% gold and other metals such as copper, while it’s not inferior than platinum with regard to diamond setting. K gold jewelry is not only better in price, but also in bright and elegant color, diverse in variation, and it is more suitable for fashion fans of variable characters, allowing more space for them to exhibit their personality.
Comparison of colors
Pure gold is golden yellow, and platinum is white. However, 18K gold is rich in colors, such as white K gold, yellow K gold, rose gold, black K gold, just to name a few. 18K gold can meet diverse customer requirements for different colors with different formula, bring out personality in a fashionable style and concision from simplicity.
Matching
Due to diverse patterns and styles and rich colors, 18K gold jewelry matches with more fashionable dresses of various colors and styles, with better effect. Young girls may choose K gold jewelry in plain color to highlight literal and forthright character; older females may choose mosaic gold jewelry to beautify their complexion as younger in age. In addition, 18K gold jewelry is suitable for consumer groups of different ages, skin colors and hair styles, thus it’s a choice for wider use.
Fashion trend
18K gold jewelry is a new international fashion of jewelry, representing fashion, avant-garde, quality and charm, highlighting personal character, exquisite workmanship, fantastically variable patterns and styles, and full of western style. In comparison with platinum jewelry, 18K gold jewelry is more tallied with international fashion trend, representing self-confidence, composure and elegance of modern females, while god and platinum jewelry is no longer the mainstream in jewelry market. As consumption concept and aesthetic taste of modern consumers have changed dramatically, they’re increasingly less concerned about keeping the value of jewelry products, which reflects their higher demand for artistic value and artistic taste, in this respect, K gold jewelry is an excellent representative of such fashion trend.
Aesthetics
18K gold jewelry is brighter and more lustrous than pure gold jewelry, in addition to sharp edges, unstrained pattern and intense inside light perception (K gold necklace is a perfect match of diamond). The changing fashion is one of the factors causing hot sale of K gold products. White jewelry is no longer fully meeting the requirements of changing fashion styles, while K gold products, with diverse and variable colors, can keep up with pace of changing fashions.
Emotion
18K gold jewelry helps highlight fashion, independence and self confidence of modern females, bring out the best of inherent temperament and taste, and communicate their innermost delicate emotion.
Some people will suffer from itchiness caused by allergy to jewelry, which is the result of coming in contact with common allergen like alloy products containing nickel. If the composition of metal is pure and stable, it will be less likely to cause allergies. Gold is highly stable material, and the purity of 18K gold is higher than that of 14K, 10K and 9K. Gold is thus suitable for long-term wearing as it is rarely allergy inducing.
18K gold means when the gold is divided into 24 servings, and 18 of them (75%) are pure gold. Then 25% of other metals are added in to create this high purity metal. Mixing with other metals can increase the hardness of 18K gold and this solve the issue of the metal deforming easily. This helps a lot in protecting the diamond, so different kind of gems can also be mounted.
18K gold could be turned into what the jewelry designer wants it to become, whether it is luxurious goldware or delicate and sophisticated light jewelry. It can be crafted into thin yet sturdy necklace or ring, and it can also have complex pattern engraved. 18K gold is usually used for personal engraving designs like wedding rings or vintage style jewelries.
With precise mounting technique, diamond could be securely mounted on the ring and the risk of it falling off could be minimized.
18k gold is a popular choice for many brides and grooms. One advantage of choosing 18k gold is its purity, which gives 18k gold a richer, more vibrant color. The 18k gold percentage is also less likely to trigger any skin conditions or reactions one may have because the presence of other metals and alloys is minimal. If you are prone to metal allergies, 18k gold is a great option for you! However, although this higher gold percentage makes for a beautiful appearance and other benefits, it is also its biggest disadvantage.
18k gold keeps a balance of stability and purity and is hence preferred by many, over the gold of lower or higher karat number. There are so many benefits if you choose to buy 18k gold jewelry. 18k rose gold engagement rings are the best example of the sturdy feature of an 18k gold piece. Here are some advantages of buying 18 k gold jewelry.
The 18k gold contains some amount of impurities in it, which makes it more robust.
The metals used in alloying gold can cause allergy to the user. However, 18k gold is purer than many other lower karats gold and is hence more hypoallergenic.
18k gold is cheaper when compared to the higher karats gold which come in pure and bright colored form. 22k gold is a perfect example of this. Even though it is purer than 18k, it is soft and can get scratched easily. In addition, it is very expensive.
18k gold is efficient for daily use. Since the metal is hard and strong, it can be worn without any fear of getting scratched or broken. Hence, it is wise to use diamond bracelets and wedding rings made of 18k gold.
It is very unlikely for the prongs to loosen even if an 18k ring brushes against a garment or any other object.
Because of it is greater percentage of gold, an 18-karat piece will fetch a higher price. However, in some cases, monetary value alone does not influence purchasing decisions. Others take history, circumstance, or sentimental value into consideration, too. Some also consider the look of the gold, as the higher the karat of the gold, the more yellow it appears.
In the recent years, 18 karat gold is commonly used to create gold jewelry as it provides durability, combined with a more “golden” and rich appearance. Because of its vibrant sheen, the 18K gold jewelry is in high demand. It is the most popular karat of gold purchased worldwide, and is also known for its affordability and stability. If a jewelry item is 18 karats, it means that out of 24 parts, 18 parts of the piece are gold, and 6 parts are made up of other metals. In a simple way, 18k is 75% gold and 25% other alloy. This is the most advisable in jewelry and the most popular for wedding and engagement rings.