Nowadays, it is increasingly difficult to surprise consumers with unusual products made of precious metals. Traditional gold reddish hues has long been tiresome on the market. The exception is lemon gold, which has not yet become so widely known. Such alloy has a high value, along with the usual varieties. To obtain a unique color, its Composition improve with certain impurities.
Lemon gold - what is it, composition, assay, method of production
This variety is a curiosity on the Russian market, while in Europe and the United States jewelry has long had great popularity. Lemon gold is no less valuable than the jewels with a reddish tint that we are all accustomed to. Although a similar composition is found in Nugget form, jewelers use material obtained in laboratories for production.
In its properties, the metal does not differ much from the traditional metal. There is another name - electrum. Its distinctive feature is its original light yellow color. This effect is achieved due to the high content of silver. Copper is also a must.
Typically, the citrus variety is produced under the 585 hallmark: gold content - 58.5 %, the main share of impurities takes the silver, in third place in content is copper. You can buy today in St. Petersburg, Moscow and other major cities of 750 hallmark, but they are not suitable for everyday wear because of their brittleness and insensitivity to damage.
Performance properties of electrum
- Resistance to oxidation: gold is inert, does not react to contact with oxygen and other substances, but periodically requires cleaning of dust and plaque.
- It has good plasticity, can be subjected to various species jewelry workmanship.
- High durability: despite the fact that the strength of traditional compositions is achieved by containing a large amount of copper, citrus gold also has sufficient strength. This makes it possible to wear the pieces permanently.
- Shades: in addition to the usual soft lemon color, can have shades of bright green to a muted olive color. This is made possible by the addition of cadmium, palladium. The content of zinc and potassium is also possible. However, such novelties have disadvantages: low strength, toxicity of cadmium.
Lemon Gold Applications. A range of jewelry and accessories
Electrum is very actively used by jewelers. Good performance characteristics make it possible to wide application. They make everything from earrings and rings to bracelets and cufflinks. The most attractive are plant elements made of gold in this shade, such as pussettes or a delicate necklace with clover leaves.
Combination with other alloys and gemstones
You have to be careful about combining lemon yellow gold with silverware, platinum, or gold of other alloysAs it does not always look good. It is desirable to choose accessories for going out so that they are of the same shade. Although some brands in Europe and the United States like to combine several colors of the precious metal in one piece, such as the famous Cartier ring.
But with pearls and precious stones such as diamond, ruby, emerald, chrysolite, topaz, the alloy looks just great.
How can you tell if what you're looking at is a real thing of value?
The problem is that such alloys are not as widespread. To avoid becoming a victim of scammers, it is recommended to buy products only from proven sellers.
If you decide to buy a product from hand, be extremely vigilant.
There are also several ways in which you can check the authenticity of the metal itself:
- use a magnet: real gold is a classic diamagnetic and does not react to it;
- Examine in the sun and in the shade: the original shines both in bright light and in the shade.
- iodine test: brush the item in an inconspicuous area, put a drop of iodine on that spot; real gold will react and form a dark spot (the drawback of this method is the problem of cleaning iodine stains in future use).
Places to buy and sell
Lemon-colored jewelry is most popular abroad, so true connoisseurs often bring accessories made of electrum made in Europe or the United States. However, there is a risk of buying low-quality products that contain toxic substances. It is risky to buy jewelry from hand, through AVITO or online stores, so it is better to go to a jewelry salon with a good reputation.
When selling, specialists at the pawnshop will not pay attention to the hue, but will perform an assessment according to the scrap metal.
How the price of gold is formed. Price Fixing
Gold is both a currency and a commodity on the exchange. Twice a day at 10:30 and 15:00 GMT (14:30 and 19:00 Moscow time) on the London Stock Exchange, a 45-second electronic auction determines and fixes cost 1 gram of a troy ounce of the precious metal. The modern gold benchmark is called the LBMA Gold Price.
The value of the precious metal is then converted by the Central Bank from dollars to local currency.
Cost of 1 gram of electrum in the current time
It becomes obvious why the price of gold varies daily and, depends on the sample. The calculation of the value of a particular sample is as follows:
999 gold accounting price according to the Central Bank * metal share in the alloy
For example, how many rubles is 1 gram of 585-gold in lemon gold?
3,791 rubles * 0.585 = 2,217.735 rubles per gram
| The price of 999 proof, rub. | The market price of the sample today, rub. | Scrap price of precious metal, rubles. | Price in jewelry salons, rubles. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3791 | 2218 | 1996 | 3980 |
Psychologists on the mental benefits of citrus gold
Color is one of the main advantages. This shade evokes associations with warmth, sunshine, and love. That's probably why it is widely used abroad for the production of engagement rings.
European psychologists have also proven a beneficial effect of electrum on the human psyche on a subconscious level.
Bad moods, moping and melancholy caused by the onset of cold weather can be reduced by wearing such jewelry reminiscent of sunny days.
Recommendations for choosing and buying lemon gold for a particular occasion, type
As mentioned above, the accessories have a very beautiful and unusual appearance, have sufficient strength, but they do not combine well with other alloys. Therefore it is recommended to buy the whole set at once so that there are no problems with combination. For example, these could be earrings and a chain or a bracelet with a ring. A large ring or a brooch can shine in proud solitude. Colored gold not always universal, not suitable for every image, so more often brought out on special occasions.
Jeweler's tips for care and storage of jewelry. Ways to clean metal professionally and at home
- Storage in a dark, dry place inside special cases or velvet boxes;
- regular cleaning of contaminants;
- the use of folk remedies for cleaning: a solution of dish detergent, ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, after which the product must be washed, dried and rubbed with a dry cloth until shiny;
- Special semi-professional cleaning products from jewelry stores;
- Special machines in jewelry shops that professionals can use to thoroughly clean your piece;
- Avoid contact of metal with aggressive substances, high temperatures;
- Take off your gold jewelry before doing manual labor or sports.
Video: lemon gold-what is it, what kind of purity metal and what are the advantages?
Reviews
A couple of years ago my husband gave me a lemon-colored ring for my anniversary. Since then, this gift has become my favorite piece of jewelry. I wear it all the time.
I bought myself a lemon gold chain. I don't wear it often as it is hard to match with other jewelry. I want to buy a set of earrings to go with it.
I gave my wife a lemon gold bracelet. For some reason my gift was not to her liking. She said it looked more like costume jewelry.
