9k,18k, 24k Gold - What does it mean?

Gold jewellery is coming back into fashion and it comes in different purity. How is a 18karats (k) gold ring different from a 24k gold ring? Should I buy a 18k gold bracelet with a great design or should I buy a 24k gold bracelet with a mediocre design given the same budget? How does the purity of gold affect the price of the jewellery? This is a question one may ask when buying gold jewellery, especially for 'si dian jin' - literally translated to four pieces of gold the bride will wear during the Chinese wedding tea ceremony.

Gold purity is measured in carats or karats with the symbol 'k'. Pure gold is 24k, it means 24 parts of the mass is gold. When we melt the mass, we are expected to extract 99.9% of gold from it. 18k means 18 parts of the mass are gold, 6 parts of it are alloy. Or 75% of the mass is gold, i.e. 18/24 x 100%. The table below shows the karat vs percentage of gold.

Karats	% of gold
9k	37.5
10k	41.7
12k	50.0
14k	58.3
17k	70.8
18k	75.0
21k	87.5
22k	91.6
23k	95.8
24k	99.9

Needless to say, the higher the percentage of gold, the more expensive is the piece of jewellery given the same design. However, the higher the percentage of gold, the softer will be the metal and it is not ideal for fine jewellery. 18k gold or 14k gold is usually used to make intricate fine jewellery because of their ideal hardness. 12k gold and below is usually not recommended for jewellery, though they can still be sold legally as real gold in some countries.

Having understanding the different gold purities, should one buy a 18k gold ring or 24k gold bracelet? The answer is it depends. If one intends to wear the 'si dian jian' once and keep them in a safe box after the wedding, it is recommended to buy 24k gold for appreciation potential. If one intends to wear them frequently, it is recommended to buy 18k  gold for its resistance to scratches and suitability to be made into a wider range of designs.

Better still, one may consider ORO22 gold jewellery from the Poh Heng Jewellery. It is made of 22k gold, which has a higher percentage of gold than 18k jewellery. And the designs modern and contemporary, designed for the women in the corporate world.

ORO22 Bracelet

ORO22 Earrings

ORO22 Ring

Peranakan Jewelry

Peranakan Jewellery renowns for its delicate craftmanship and Intan diamonds is unqiue to the South East Asia region. Its history began in the 1800s.

In the 1826, there was a group of terrorites which came under the control of the British - the Straits Settlements. It consisted of four settlements, namely Malacca, Dinding, Penang and Singapore. Along the way, the Chinese traders came and married the ethnic Malays. Their descendants are known as Peranakans.

Peranakans have their own unique customs, culture as well as jewelry designs. Geninue antique Peranakan Jewellery is much sought after by the collectors because of its rarity, intricate craftmanship and possible appreciation potential. With the popular demand, modern reproductions are made to cater to the growing interest. Old Peranakan Gold Jewellery is usually made up of 20 - 24k gold, while Peranakan Costume Jewellery is a replica for a fraction of the price. Below is a mixture of Peranakan Costume Jewellery and Old Peranakan Gold Jewellery. Personally, I can hardly tell a difference between the two from the photos. Love it? You may click on the image to find out where you can get it. Happy browsing. :)

  

Old Peranakan Gold Humming Bird Brooch
source - The Jealous Society

Peranakan Costume Bracelet
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Flower Brooch
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Peranakan Costume Earrings
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Diamond Necklace

source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Diamond Brooch
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Peranakan Costume Earrings
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Peranakan Costume Sterling Silver Brooch
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Diamond Bracelet
source - Little Nyonya Batik

Old Peranakan Gold Diamond Ring
source - The Jealous Society

Snapshot Jewelry

Nowadays people take a picture of what they like and post it on Instagram, Facebook, or other social media. Two young ladies took the inspiration and created a Snapshot jewellery collection. The outcomes are innovative, appealing and kinetic. Each piece of jewellery is carefully handcrafted by Yael Serfaty and Tal Salomon, who are graduates of Shenkar Collage of Engineering and Design, Israel. Their jewellery "freezes" and "frames" the people in action, e.g. woman on a swing, couple strolling, etc. And it is kinetic as well, which means the swing moves as the wearer moves. :) If you have a triangle shaped face, choose a circle frame, if you have a round face, choose a rectangular frame. Kudos to Yael and Tal for their creativity!

Frame 6 -Swing and Pearls Earrings
source - Boticca

Gold Swing Sling Earrings
source - Boticca

My Mini Swing Silver Earrings
source - Boticca

Our Love Story Gold Necklace
source - Boticca

Sliver Jewelry with A Zen Feeling

Aileen Lampman, who created Ai Jewelry in 1997, hand-fabricated the jewellery using sterling sliver and 14k gold. Her jewellery gives one a Zen feeling - it may due to its distinct, clear, clean lines. An unique feature of her jewellery is each jewellery's basic design is shaped either in convex or concave forms. They are then pieced together to form the leaves, flowers, bamboo, etc. The polished and reflective finishing is also another feature of Aileen Lampman's silver jewellery which is different from the Daphna Simon's sliver jewellery mentioned in my previous post. Ai Jewelry also has a 'flow' element in it, maybe it is due to repeated patterns or curved shaped. I find the Pocket Necklace uncommon, different from the lockets that I have come across.  But it serves the same function, keeping what the owner's desires in its pocket.

Pocket Necklace - Opened

Bamboo Forrest Necklace

Wave Earrings

Li-Li Pearl Necklace

Silver logs and Gold Leopard Signature ring

Going back to the nature is one of the stress relievers for urban dwellers. Picnic in a park, hiking in a forest or scuba diving are some of activities that I like to do to de-stress. Hence, it is not surprising that women are drawn to jewellery that associates with the natural elements like flowers, animals, corals, etc. Daphna Simon's log jewellery reminds one of the trees in a forest, while the gold leopard reminds one of the wild animals in a jungle. The roughness and non-glossy finishing give the jewellery a nature look, which is apt to her log and animal collections. I like her Sliver and Diamond Log Ring and Gold Leopard Signature Ring, while the Large Sliver Log Ring can also be a male's accessories, i.e. if the men do not mind sharing their accessories with women. :)

Large Silver Log Ring
source : Stone & Strand 

Gold Leopard Signature Ring
source : Stone & Strand 

Sliver Log Earrings
source : Stone & Strand 

Silver and Diamond Log Ring
source: Stone and Strand