Gold Body Jewelry - Is It Really Gold?
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by: JimHofman
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Word Count: 549
Most women prefer using gold belly button rings and body jewelry since gold is a symbol of beauty and abundance since ancient times. However, there are specific things to know before choosing gold body jewelry.
How do you know your gold body jewelry is really gold? It's worth spending a little time to understand how you can make sure your gold body jewelry is pure, and not a substandard piece.
The first aspect to consider with body jewelry is karat content. You never want to buy body jewelry less than 18 karat gold. Lesser karat content, like 14k gold, means you'll run the risk of a body jewelry allergy, which are discomforting at best and downright painful at worst.
Usually this occurs because the gold used for body jewelry is an alloy that contains other metals in addition to gold. Often, gold body jewelry is only plated with gold; such jewelry should never be used in piercings even if the piercing is healed.
After the polish goes away, the allergic risk is high, especially if the other metal used is nickel. Nickel is the most common metal used for body jewelry, particularly for white gold belly button rings. The cheaper the body jewelry, the more unlikely it has a high level of gold purity.
Even if you choose gold-plated jewelry, always check what kind of base metal it includes. For example, gold belly button rings advertised as 14 karat gold have only fourteen parts of gold in their entire composition. The other common elements are usually silver, nickel, zinc, and copper. Did you know that gold in its pure form is extremely soft, making it impossible to use as jewelry? That's why other metals are needed to form a piece of body jewelry.
The very best choice for gold body jewelry is 18 karat gold. Primarily, body jewelry is available in 14 karat. 14K gold is less expensive but the downside is you'll have a higher chance for body jewelry allergic reaction.
Here are a few tips for buying gold body jewelry:
1. Look for gold body jewelry sellers who adhere to a strict quality assurance program, and are willing to tell potential buyers what it means.
2. Look for a license stamped on the body jewelry if a trademark or logo is present, i.e. the trademark for a large company. If a trademark or logo is on your body jewelry but there is no license stamped on the back, your body jewelry is suspect in quality.
3. Test your body jewelry at an independent lab if you have any questions about the gold content. Typically these tests are about $20.
4. Closely examine the body jewelry's quality. Look at your body jewelry with a jeweler's scope. If edges are frayed or there are imperfections, there are quality and manufacturing issues.
One last item ... remember that 24 karat gold is the only pure gold. 18k, 14k, and 10k all have gold and other metals present. For reference, 18k gold is 75% pure gold, high quality, affordable, and your best choice to reduce the risk of any problems.
About the Author
Considering a body jewelry purchase? Always look for 18 karat Gold Body Jewelry . If you found these tips helpful, visit us to learn more about fun and attractive Gold Body Jewelry .