Gold is a very soft metal. It is hardened and made easier to work with by adding different metals with gold. Pure gold is 24K and the higher the Karat count the purer the gold is and the softer it becomes also. Gold jewellery has been known to last a long time. It is very resistant to corrosion and tarnish, the only flaw that Gold has is the softness which means it has to be stored properly to avoid any scratches and dents to the material.

Buying gold should be done properly and with the right retailers. There are a lot of scammers out there that sell gold for more than it is actually worth with a dishonest Karat count.

It is advised to store gold away from harder materials like diamonds and other gemstones because these materials can easily scratch the soft surface of gold. If possible gold jewellery like pearls should be stored separately and individually so that it does not come into contact with other much harder jewellery that may damage it in one way or another.

A common chemical that can greatly damage gold jewellery is that of chlorine compound. It is not advised to wear gold jewellery when using cleaning materials with chlorine or with highly chlorinated water like in pools and Jacuzzis. Chlorine has been known to inevitably weaken gold and make it prone to breakage and cracks.

Perfume, lotion and oils can also cause gold to lose its luster that is why it advised to wear as little perfume and lotion on areas that you know you will be wearing your Gold jewellery on. If that is unavoidable, it is best to put on perfume and lotion before putting on your gold jewellery. Grease and oil marks are often what plague gold jewellery the most. This is easily managed by cleaning gold jewellery with a little bit of rubbing alcohol to bring back its luster.

When buying gold jewellery it is advised to pay special attention to the Karat count of the gold jewellery you are interested in. Remember that pure gold is 24K and the rest ranging down from it are alloys with the lowest being 10K. There are also lower carat counts for gold but these are no longer considered as 'gold' in most countries. Karat should not be confused with Carat. Carat is a unit that is used with gemstones and is mostly attributed to diamonds.

Gold rarely has problems with any allergies because it is non-reactive to most chemicals. People that are allergic to gold jewellery are most probably allergic to the metal compounds that have been added to it to make it harder and create some colour. By the way, adding other metals manage to change the colour of gold which is a standard practice.

Other forms of gold jewellery are gold filled and gold plated jewellery. Gold Filled Jewellery usually have an indicator as to how much of the jewellery weight can be attributed to gold. Gold plated jewellery on the other hand has only a very thin layer of gold (in the microns) on the surface and can easily lose its gold colour over time.

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The author has collected more gold information and runs Milton Gems where you can put this knowledge to good use and browse his gold jewelry especially the gold pendants.

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