10 KARAT GOLD! WHY NOT!



IS THIS GOLD NECKLACE 10K, 14K OR 18K? SHE'S NOT TELLING!



The spot price of gold is still hovering around $1,650 today but 10K gold jewelry remains a easy, viable option. I rather buy 10k instead of gold vermeil, for 1 BIG REASON. Hint:  It’s not affordability! 

THE HEARTBREAK OF TARNISH

Gold vermeil is just a hassle to keep sparkly gold looking without the mar of tarnish.

I could not resist buying a choker with 5 small rough diamond beads strung on a delicate gold vermeil chain. Or is it gold filled? In any case, I have to clean it every time I wear it because the chain seems to tarnish within hours of putting it on. 

I would have gladly paid a few bucks more for a 10K gold neck chain just to get the diamond beads.

 I even took the choker to my jeweler for a new chain. But he felt that he couldn’t safely remove and transfer the rough diamond beads without them shattering.

The choker has become a new project:  I plan to purposely blacken the entire chain.

GOLD VS. GOLD-LOOKING JEWELRY

Gold vermeil and gold filled jewelry are manufactured very differently. Gold vermeil is electroplated sterling silver.  Gold filled jewelry is created by bonding gold  onto a base metal alloy with high pressure.

These types of jewelry often come with manufacturers’ warranties against tarnishing.  But to avoid having to read fine print and to save cleaning time, I rather just save-up for 10K gold baubles.

HOW DIFFERENT IS 10K GOLD?

I don’t really feel that people are looking that closely at my 10K, say, stack ring  to easily discern that its not 14K gold.  I will grant you that any bling made with gold ranging from 18K to 24K gold is noticeably brighter than 10K.

Nowadays, I treat any jewelry purchases of 18K gold or higher as a possible financial investment and not just as a fashion statement! I keep wondering 'What if the price of gold falls?'

But whether it’s 10K or 22K gold jewelry, I always say "buy what you like"!