How To Make Sure Your Body Jewelry Is Real Gold
Most women prefer using gold belly button rings and body jewelry since gold is a symbol of beauty and abundance since ancient times. However, there are specific things to know before choosing gold body jewelry.
Primarily, you'll want and need to know that your body jewelry being advertised as gold is really gold. There are specific ways to know for sure, so let's examine what to look for.
Without question, 18 karat gold is the best choice for gold body jewelry. With any lesser karat content, there's a good chance you'll experience a jewelry allergy or that your body will reject the gold body jewelry entirely.
Body jewelry allergies usually occur because the gold body jewelry contains significant other metal content. Inexpensive body jewelry is usually just gold plated. If the body jewelry is simply gold plated, it should never be used in piercings.
If your gold body jewelry is only gold plated, it's best to look for another option. Most gold plated body jewelry contains a high percentage of nickel, which gives you a higher risk for allergic as we've discussed.
Even if you choose gold-plated jewelry, always check what kind of base metal it includes. For example, gold belly button rings advertised as 14 karat gold have only fourteen parts of gold in their entire composition. The other common elements are usually silver, nickel, zinc, and copper. Did you know that gold in its pure form is extremely soft, making it impossible to use as jewelry? That's why other metals are needed to form a piece of body jewelry.
The very best choice for gold body jewelry is 18 karat gold. Primarily, body jewelry is available in 14 karat. 14K gold is less expensive but the downside is you'll have a higher chance for body jewelry allergic reaction.
The most important factors to consider when buying gold body jewelry:
1. Buy jewelry from a store with a quality assurance and testing program. These stores test their own jewelry for purity.
2. Look for a license stamped on the body jewelry if a trademark or logo is present, i.e. the trademark for a large company. If a trademark or logo is on your body jewelry but there is no license stamped on the back, your body jewelry is suspect in quality.
3. Have your body jewelry tested for purity at an independent lab or dealer if the quality is in question.
4. Be sure to closely examine your body jewelry before purchase. Check for any defects. To be absolutely safe, look at the jewelry under a jeweler's scope. to check for imperfections.
One last item ... remember that 24 karat gold is the only pure gold. 18k, 14k, and 10k all have gold and other metals present. For reference, 18k gold is 75% pure gold, high quality, affordable, and your best choice to reduce the risk of any problems.