Gold

Of all the world’s precious metals, only gold combines the four basic characteristics that make it a universally and eternally treasured possession – lustrous beauty, rarity, durability and workability.

Lustrous Beauty: The naturally intense colour and distinctive lustre of gold combine to give the precious metal its unique and lasting beauty.

Rarity: Although gold is everywhere around use – in the earth’s crust, in the seas, rivers and plants – the difficulty and expense of obtaining it makes recovery of any substantial amounts unlikely. Where gold is found to exist, as it does in several regions of Australia, several tonnes of ore may be required to extract just one ounce of gold.

Durability: Gold virtually lasts forever. It does not rust, tarnish or corrode. An example of its incredible durability is evidenced in the gold coins found in galleons sunk centuries ago. Each coin is as bright and shiny as the day it was made.

Workability: Gold has the best working qualities of any metal, thereby making it the ideal precious metal for fine jewellery. It is so soft and malleable that one ounce can be stretched into a wire an incredible 80 kilometres long, or hammered into a sheet so then that it covers well over nine square metres and becomes transparent.

It is this workability that enables it to be alloyed with other precious and base metals to produce special qualities or to achieve variations of colour.

How do you know it is real gold?

When purchasing an item of gold jewellery, always look for a carat mark which should be stamped on it. This is a quality mark and refers to the proportion of pure gold in the item. Pure gold which is 24ct, the metric equivalent being 1000, is generally considered too soft for practical uses in jewellery and is alloyed with other precious and base metals to increase its durability. Some of the common markings found on jewellery, with their metric equivalents, are:
22ct or 916
18ct or 750
14ct or 585
9ct or 375

Some other precious metal markings on jewellery are:

Silver – STG.SIL. or 925
Platinum – Plat, Pt or 950
Palladium – Pal, PD or 900

Markings on jewellery items are not limited to the carat or quality mark. You may find a manufacturer’s trademark, logo or initials on some jewellery, particularly items made in the United Kingdom where a comprehensive hallmarking system is in place.

In the case of Leon Baker Jewellers, all handmade jewellery is stamped with our “LB” logo.

If you need further information about any markings that appear on a piece of fine jewellery, ask any of our qualified staff for assistance.