‘Aye, you,’ do you make jewelry?

Rose gold diamond engagement ring

The word ‘gold’ has many meanings. The term can refer to the element itself, its elemental symbol, ‘Au’, or to objects, often jewelry, that contain gold, such as a necklace or bracelet. When referencing jewelry, the amount of gold in the material, and therefore the purity, is measured by karats. One karat is 1/24^th part per weight of pure gold, so 24-karat gold is completely pure, 18-karat gold is 75% pure, 14-karat gold is 58.3% pure, 12-karat gold is 50% pure, etc. With 14-karat gold being the most popular karatage for jewelry in the United States, the minimum content to be considered appropriate for gold jewelry varies by country: 10-karat in the United States; 9-karat in France, the UK, Austria, Portugal, and Ireland; and 8-karat in Denmark and Greece. 

While the standard yellow shade continues to be the most desired gold color for jewelry, it can also be alloyed, just as gold can be alloyed in solder materials, producing may different colors such as the rose gold that has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Most gold jewelry alloys are a mix of gold, silver, and copper. When alloyed with copper, the material takes on a reddish color, and when alloyed with silver, the color is yellow-green to white. If both copper and silver are alloyed, the color appears anywhere from yellow to pink or the infamous rose hue, depending on the percentages of each. Other possible alloyed elements are indium or gallium, which produces blue to purple gold, or cobalt, which produces black gold.

While Indium Corporation continues to be a premier solder materials manufacturer and supplier, we are now proud to manufacture and supply jewelry making materials! Jewelry making began in ancient Egypt 3,000 - 5,000 years ago, and continues to be a desired hobby, profession, and business today. Our jewelry making materials are available now on buy.solder.com in 99.99% gold grain, and pink (75Au20Cu5Ag), purple (82Au18In), and red (75Au25Cu) colored gold shot. If you have any questions, or for more information, please email me at jgallery@indium.com.