Is Gold always Gold?

Gold is Gold right? Not quite.

When you’re searching for a piece of gold jewellery and you think you’ve come across a bargain, consider that Gold is not always Gold.

Leskes Jewellers, Peregian Beach, is here to explain.

Low Cost

Firstly there is the low cost option. These pieces are usually costume jewellery and have a base metal of brass or other low cost alloys and will probably have nickel in them with flash plated rose or gold. Our advice is to stay away from these types of options. This type of jewellery is actually illegal in Australia due to the high incidence of cyanide poisoning but be on the lookout if buying jewellery overseas.

Gold Filled

Then there’s gold filled jewellery.  Imagine a sheet of foil that is gold. The gold is then overlayed on to silver and heat bonded to the product. Quality will vary, particularly in the thickness of the gold fill, but essentially view it as gold bonded on to silver. It’s a good low cost alternative to solid gold as the gold won’t wear off.

Silver Filled

Next up is silver filled. This product is essentially hollow gold filled with silver. Hollow gold is light weight and incredibly fragile so the silver fill essentially toughens it up. You might get away with hollow gold earrings as they are not as subject to wear and tear but bangles are very likely to get knocked on things like benches and desks so silver filled is a great option.

There will be different levels of silver fill and you will generally get what you pay for. Our supplier offers a 30 year guarantee as we are not a business that deals in low quality products. By all means purchase something cheaper and of lower quality but buy it in the knowledge that what you save now you will pay for later.

Solid Gold

Finally there is solid gold. This is when Gold is Gold! It is more expensive but it is strong, durable and dense and can be a generational heirloom. The other good thing about solid gold is you can melt it down and re-create something else if you ever grow tired of your current piece. Solid gold can also be recoated in yellow or white gold and can almost be guaranteed not to lose value.

So if you’re in the Sunshine Coast Region and you’ve got scrap gold like earrings, rings or bangles laying around at home, remember that Leskes Jewellers can recreate something special at a fraction of the cost of a brand new piece. Best of all we use your gold, so the sentiment in which the original piece was made will live on.

The next best option to gold is Sterling Silver. While it’s not gold, sterling silver provides excellent flexibility. Sterling silver can be plated over silver. It can be a costly process but the results can be spectacular. The other thing about Sterling silver is it can be later coated in gold, rose or white gold (i.e. a gold filled option) giving you a new piece at a relatively low cost.

If you want to hear more about your gold options or any other Jewellery related inquiries call into Leskes Jewellers, Peregian Beach or check us out on Instagram.