Purchasing a Piece of Fine Jewelry? Know Your Precious Metals

If you are planning to make a fine jewelry purchase it is important to understand the difference between all of the precious metal choices out there. Going into your purchase armed with knowledge about the jewelry product will help you make a wise decision for an expensive purchase. Here is a breakdown of your basic precious metal choices for jewelry, the pros and cons of each, and how expensive each precious metal is.

Silver. Though silver is indeed a precious metal, you won't find it in most fine jewelry stores. Silver is too common (and thus inexpensive) and is also very soft. The softness makes it lose shape more easily than some other metals. If you want a silver look to your fine jewelry, check out white gold or platinum.

Gold. Gold is still the most popular of all precious metals and you will find it abundantly in any jewelry store. Gold typically comes in 10, 14, and 18 karat varieties. These numbers indicate the amount of pure gold contained in the jewelry. You will not find 24 karat gold jewelry because gold, like silver, is a soft metal. If you had a completely pure gold item it would not keep its shape well. 14 karat gold is what you find most commonly on fine jewelry. If you are purchasing something like a man's wedding band that you think will take a lot of abuse, you might want to consider 10 karat gold since it is harder and will withstand plenty of mistreatment.

White Gold. White gold is simply yellow gold that his been coated with a silver colored metal, typically nickel. White gold is still a precious metal since it's actually yellow gold, but it does not occur naturally in nature. The issue a buyer will face with purchasing fine jewelry in white gold is that the nickel coating will rub off after years of use. Thus white gold jewelry needs to be re-colored every couple years. If you like the look of white gold, but don't want the hassle of having it re-colored, consider platinum, though platinum will cost much more. Another option for white gold jewelry is to purchase an extended warranty with your piece that covers the cost of re-coloring for life.