Yellow gold - what is it? It is unlikely that any of us knows the answer to this question. After all, this is a classic that has been tested for centuries and will never go out of fashion. This metal cannot be confused with any other, jewelry made from it is relevant at all times. Yellow gold (photos are available in the article) is a noble metal that is not affected by high temperatures, moisture or air.
Properties of gold
In nature, this metal occurs in the form of grains that are interspersed in quartz, and in quartz sand. Gold has high ductility and malleability. In its pure form, the metal is very soft, it can be easily cut with a knife. Products made of pure gold are quite fragile and easily torn. It is the only precious metal that has a naturally bright yellow color. Strong luster is its characteristic feature. Gold is highly plastic, in the production of jewelry, in order to improve its physical characteristics, impurities and other metals are added to it, which are called ligatures.
What is gold proof?
The fineness of gold is the ratio in the alloy of the amount of pure goldand ligatures (impurities). Copper and silver are considered the best impurities. In our country, it is customary to assign numerical values of the sample to gold products. This value indicates the number of parts of this metal in 1000 parts of the alloy. For example, if the product is 750 samples, then this means that 1000 g of the alloy contains 750 g of pure gold.
14k yellow gold alloy composition
This is an alloy based on gold. Additional components (ligatures) in it are silver and copper. Yellow gold 585 has the following composition: pure gold - 58.5%, other metals - 41.5%. The color of the product is affected by the number of these elements. In the countries of the former USSR, more copper was used, which is why the alloy acquired a reddish tint. In Europe, they gave preference to silver. Therefore, the shade of European gold is rather lemon. It should also be noted that due to the composition of the ligature, yellow gold, which is produced in the territory of the former USSR, has a higher strength compared to European gold. The original color is yellow, but since this metal is quite soft, pure gold products are made only in Japan. In this country, it is customary to use gold almost in its pure form for the production of jewelry. In order for precious products not to lose their original appearance, they are worn extremely rarely and carefully stored in specially designed cases. The sample is independent of color. The most common in our country is yellow gold 585, followed by 750 alloy. Samples such as 500, 375, 583,are quite rare today.
Other jewelry alloys
- Red gold. In the jewelry industry of the former USSR, it was the main precious metal. It was also called "Russian gold". Traditionally, it is an alloy of gold (58.3%) and copper (41.7%). By adding varying proportions of palladium, silver, and nickel, the metal can be produced in a hot pink hue.
- White gold is an alloy that acquires a white hue by adding platinum, silver, nickel and palladium. It is used in the manufacture of diamond jewelry, which enhances the play of light and emphasizes the beauty of stones.
- Black gold. To give an unusual black color to jewelry, a layer of black rhodium or ruthenium is applied to them.
- Brown gold. To obtain a product of this shade, alloys of 750 and 585 gold are used, which are subjected to repeated complex chemical processing.
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Purple-violet gold - an intermetallic compound of gold with aluminum.
- Olive gold is an intermetallic compound of gold with potassium.
- Dark green gold - an intermetallic compound of gold with rubidium.
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Blue gold is an intermetallic compound of gold with indium.
yellow gold
Care instructions
Yellow gold eventually loses its original appearance and begins to fade. This happens because the impurities of other metals that give strength to the product over timeoxidize and change color. In order to restore the attractiveness and luxury of jewelry, you can clean it.
Cleaning gold with water, ammonia and washing powder
Pour a glass of water into a deep container, add a tablespoon of detergent and a teaspoon of ammonium hydroxide (ammonia). Stir the mixture thoroughly until the powder is completely dissolved. Place jewelry for two hours in the resulting mixture, then rinse well with running water and dry thoroughly with a soft cloth.
Cleaning gold with dishwashing detergent
In order to clean yellow gold, add a teaspoon of detergent to a glass of water, mix thoroughly. At the bottom of the container with the resulting mixture, put a piece of soft cloth. Place gold jewelry in the solution and put the container on low heat. Boil the liquid for at least 10 minutes, then rinse the products under running water and dry with a lint-free cloth.
Cleaning gold with liquid soap and hydrogen peroxide
Pour a glass of non-hot water into a deep container, add hydrogen peroxide (40 ml), a teaspoon of ammonium hydroxide and liquid soap. Immerse jewelry in the resulting solution for 20 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.
Cleaning gold with s alt
In hot water (half a glass), add table s alt (3 tablespoons). Immerse jewelry overnight in the solution. After rinse with running water and dry with a soft towel.
Gold jewelry is always prestigious and noble. Yellow gold is a timeless classic.
