Gold, a soft and highly-malleable metal, does not tarnish easily and comes in a variety of colors. Gold costs more than most precious metals and its softness can result in scratching and denting.

Gold Varieties

• Yellow gold jewelry is non-corrosive and sturdy. Diamonds set in yellow gold benefit from color contrast, and slightly tinted stones can appear brighter.
• White gold jewelry has a shiny silver hue that makes it look like platinum. White gold is virtually non-tarnishing. 
• Rose gold jewelry includes alloys that bring out deeper pink accents.

Know Your Karats
Look for the karat mark, which will tell you that the piece is real gold and the percentage of pure gold it contains. Pure gold, or 24K, has a deeply warm and rich color, but it is extremely soft and easily damaged. For this reason, pieces made from pure gold take on unique stamps of individuality with wear. Oftentimes, gold is alloyed with other metals, such as copper, silver, nickel and zinc to give it strength and durability. Different proportions of these alloys also give gold its rose, green, or white coloration. 18K gold is 75% gold; 14K is 58.5%; and 10K is 41.6%. The higher the karatage, the richer the color will be and the more costly. In the U.S. jewelry must be at least 10K to be legally sold as real gold. (In Canada and Mexico , the minimum legal standard of karatage is 9K and 8K respectively.) Imported gold jewelry may be stamped with different numbers. For example, the European marking for 14 karat gold jewelry is 585; for 18K it is 750. Note: Don't be confused with "carats," the weight and measure used for diamonds and other gems.

Look For The Trademark
On karat-marked jewelry sold in the U.S., always look for the manufacturer's trademark. By U.S. law it must be there. When there's a hallmark, it means the manufacturer stands behind the accuracy of the karat mark. You may also find the country of origin marked.

Evaluate The Price
In addition to karat weight, the price of gold jewelry is determined by several factors: total weight; design and construction; and ornamental detailing, such as engraving or Florentine finish. Although nearly all gold jewelry today is made with the help of special machines, some handwork is always involved. The more there is, the higher the price. The good news is that through modern manufacturing technology, large, lightweight, and exciting pieces can be surprisingly affordable.

Check The Clasp
When buying a gold necklace or bracelet, make sure you examine the clasp to see if it is strong enough to support the chain, especially if the piece does not have a hallmark. Run your hand over the chain and look for any rough edges. A well-made piece of gold jewelry should look and feel like the quality piece it is. And if you take the time to look it over, you will have a piece that, with good care, can last a lifetime.

Spot gold-coated jewelry
Not all gold jewelry is gold to the core and in the United States metal less than 10K cannot legally be sold as gold. Most eBay sellers will make sure you know the exact gold content by weight of any piece they sell.

• Gold-filled jewelry: Gold-filled jewelry, also called gold overlay, has a layer of at least 10-karat gold bonded to the surface of a support metal. The karat gold must be at least 10 percent of the total weight.

• Gold plated jewelry: Similar to overlay, the gold content in gold-plated jewelry may be as little as 5-percent of the total weight.  

• Jewelry with gold leaf: With gold leaf jewelry, a very thin layer of gold is applied by hand to the surface of an item.