Gold
Brief facts about gold
Why Welsh gold is valuable
Is old gold better than new gold?
Gold-plated jewellery
Gold on silver and gold vermeil
What is gold Leaf?
Don't throw gold away!
- It's rare.
- It doesn't tarnish or corrode in normal use.
- Pure gold is softer than lead.
- Gold is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity.
Silver is even better, but tarnishes easily, so gold is often
preferred.
- Alloying with other metals makes gold harder, yet it retains
its resistance to corrosion.
- Alloying makes it possible to produce different colours, like
rose gold and white gold.
- Since antiquity, it has been worked with simple tools to
produce beautiful jewellery.
Since Roman times, gold has been mined in Wales. However all
mines have closed.
Welsh gold looks exactly the same as any other gold, but it is
very rare and stocks will soon be exhausted.
That makes it valuable, also it costs more to mine than other
gold. Why?
1) There is much less gold per ton of ore than elsewhere.
2) Wages are higher in the UK than in many other countries where
gold is mined.
3) Most mining took place in the Snowdonia National Park.
So pollution controls were high, and waste had to be
hidden. That increased mining costs.
Much jewellery sold as Welsh gold only contains a small trace
of Welsh gold. Often the designs are beautiful and so this
jewellery is worth buying, but do make sure you understand what
you are getting.
Back to top
18ct gold is 18ct gold. Whatever the age, the amount of
gold in the alloy is the same.
Why is old gold sometimes a different colour? The
colour depends on the other metals in the alloy. The same
colour could be produced today, it just depends on what is fashionable.
Which will last longer? Jewellery does slowly wear out
when worn, so in theory a new piece will outlast a secondhand
item of the same quality. However on rare occasions new items may
have faults which only become apparent with time - normally the
supplier will rectify these free of charge. But such problems are
less likely to occur with secondhand items.
Second-hand items often are better value for money.
Most people prefer to buy new, so second-hand items can be a
bargain. Also it gives you a chance to find something
really unusual.
Back to top
Normally the label makes it clear if jewellery is not solid gold, only plated with gold.
Some plated jewellery will last for many years. See if the
thickness is described in microns. Under average use you
will wear away 1 micron every 2 years, so 10 microns should last
20 years. Rings suffer above average wear, while ear-rings
last longer.
Take special note of these terms.
Rolled gold: originall
y a sheet of brass was placed
between 2 sheets of gold, and they were rolled out until they
merged, nowadays the term normally refers to electo-plated gold,
often of good quality, but do check what the label says.
9ct back and front: a term which is no longer legal,
but is sometimes seen on old jewellery. It means the item
is plated with 9ct gold on the back and front of the base
metal.
Gold vermeil is another name for gold on silver.
Silver electro-plated with gold. You get the golden colour
with the lower price of silver. Like any gold-plated item the
plating will eventually wear away, so do find out the thickness
of the plating before you buy.
Also if the piece needs repairing or altering, the plating will
be damaged. The cost of having the item re-plated can be
significant. So I prefer plain silver, which is a beautiful
metal in its own right.
Back to top
Take a lump of gold and hammer it out until it's almost
transparent and you have gold leaf. It looks great, and was
popular on picture frames.
It also gives splendid protection from the weather for many
years, much better and longer-lasting than paint. So it's used on church weathercocks which are
difficult and expensive to paint.
Back to top
Gold is rare, so large amounts of ore are mined for every gram
of gold - much more than for base metals. Mining
requires fossil fuel, and produces huge ugly spoil
heaps.
Re-use gold when possible.
Buy second-hand jewellery, it's much better for the
earth. And when you no longer wear jewellery, sell it
on.
Recycle
When worn out, sell your gold. We can then send it for
recycling.
Normally recycling takes effort and costs the consumer money,
now gold is different, we'll pay you for your effort!
We can recycle even the smallest amount of gold, so do help
us save the earth
