14 vs. 18 – May the Toughest Win!

Have you ever wondered why you love jewellery so much? If the reason a certain piece appeals to you (or doesn't) is still unclear, buying a gold piece is 100% a conscious decision based on both technical and practical considerations. A piece of jewellery's sparkle "catches your eye" from the very first second. The design and the precision of the finishing make you say "wow!". But have you ever wondered what lies beyond the shapes? Well, discover now that there is something else too: the purity of the gold the jewellery is made from. You will have heard several figures: 14, 18 or 24 carats. Many people have given you "expert" advice, saying it would be better to trade in old gold to have a piece made. Wouldn't you love your jewellery to be as precious as possible? Isn't that the very reason you want a gold piece rather than one made of silver or costume jewellery? So why not choose, as all customers in Western countries do, an 18-carat piece that contains 75% pure gold and only 25% alloys? Someone uninformed, or ill-intentioned, would tell you that 18-carat gold is too soft, because 25% alloy is too little to give it hardness. Wrong!! False!! 25% German, Swiss or Italian alloy is ten times harder than an oriental alloy used to make "trade-in gold" jewellery. Check, for example, whether on the Italian market — the place that sets the tone for fashion and design — you can find the concept of "trade-in gold", or jewellery with a carat rating lower than 18kt. More recently, in the elegant districts of Istanbul (where, sadly, most Romanians rarely venture) only 18-carat jewellery is sold. Don't accept the information traders give you without "digesting" it carefully. In a bazaar, for instance, a trader's aim isn't to sell you — the tourist — the most precious piece of jewellery, but quite simply... to sell you something... anything. There you will find the same piece of jewellery made in gold and in silver, with a diamond and with cubic zirconia, until you no longer know what you're spending your money on. The false goodwill of certain sellers, who will try every trick just to make a sale, can cost you dearly. When you want to buy with full knowledge, gather information, analyse it and only then decide. If you want your jewellery to be as valuable as possible, then bear in mind that the purity and composition of the gold it is created from are decisive, because they determine the colour, the durability over time and... the price. And here a question arises: can there be such a thing as cheap gold? No! But there can be cheaper gold, produced specially so that in a few years it can be "traded in". The world's most luxurious brands work in 18- or 22-carat gold and know very well why they do so. Out of curiosity, ask how many Tiffany or Damiani pieces have been handed in to pawnshops "as trade-ins"? The serious, mature Western market accepts and promotes pieces made from the purest possible gold, while part of the oriental market operates rather "by ear" or "by trade-in". It is entirely possible that, in a moment of false thriftiness, you will opt for the cheaper option, only to realise later that you end up "trading in" what you considered to be the jewellery of your life. In the world of jewellery too, our geographical position gives us the chance to choose: the Western approach, in which quality comes first, or the oriental style, created specially in the 1990s for Eastern European tourists. The decision is yours, but the most important thing is to make your purchase with full knowledge and, as far as possible, from a serious brand. The jewellery you wear should be worthy of you.