Whether you're considering a gift of jewellery for your fiancée or as a treat for yourself, it is worth taking some time to learn the terms used in the industry. The following information should help you get the best quality jewellery for your money when you're shopping online.

Gold
In jewellery, the word gold means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, it is often mixed with other metals to increase its hardness. If a piece of jewellery is not 24 karat gold, the karat quality should accompany any claim that the item is gold.

Carat or Karat? A Carat is a unit of weight for diamonds and other gemstones. One carat equals 200 milligrams (0.200 grams). There are 453 grams in a pound. A Karat, when used with gold, is a unit of purity – 24 karat gold is pure gold, but usually you mix gold with a base-metal such as copper or silver to make jewellery. Each karat indicates 1/24th of the whole. So if a piece of jewellery is made of metal that is 18 parts gold and 6 parts copper, that is 18-karat gold. The higher the karat ratio, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewellery. Most gold jewellery is marked with its karat ratio, although marking is not required by law.

Jewellery can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate refers to items plated with gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but how soon will depend on how often the item is worn and mainly on how thick the plating is. Gold-filled , gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewellery that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. Gold electroplate describes jewellery that has a layer (at least .175 microns thick) of a minimum of 10 karat gold deposited on a base metal by an electrolytic process. The terms gold flashed or gold washed describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick). This will wear away more quickly than gold plate, gold-filled or gold electroplate.

Platinum, Silver and Other Metals
Platinum is a precious metal that costs more than gold. It is generally mixed with other similar metals, known as the platinum group metals (iridium, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium and osmium).

Different markings are used on platinum jewellery as compared with gold jewellery, based on the amount of pure platinum in the piece. The quality markings for platinum are based on parts per thousand. For example, the marking 900 Platinum means that 900 parts out of 1000 are pure platinum.

The words silver or sterling silver describe a product that contains 92.5% silver. Silver products sometimes may be marked 925 which means that 925 parts per thousand are pure silver. Some jewellery may be described as silverplate: a layer of silver is bonded to a base metal. Although not that frequent, Vermeil is a special type of gold plated product consisting of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold.

Gemstones
Natural gemstones are found in nature. Laboratory-created stones, as the name implies, are made in a laboratory. These stones, which also are referred to as laboratory-grown or synthetic have essentially the same chemical, physical and visual properties as natural gemstones. Laboratory- created stones do not have the rarity of naturally coloured stones and they are less expensive than naturally mined stones.

Gemstones may be measured by weight, size, or both. The basic unit for weighing gemstones is the carat (see definition above). Carats are divided into 100 units, called points. For example, a one and a half carat gemstone would weigh 1.50 carats or 150 points. When gemstones are measured by dimensions, the size is expressed in millimetres (for example, 6x4 millimetres).

Diamonds
A diamond's value is based on four criteria: carat, clarity, cut and colour. Diamonds act like a prism. By doing so, it divides light in to a spectrum and colours reflect light into bright flashes called fire. The less amount of colour in a diamond, more brilliant its fire and the better its grade. However, unfortunately, scales are not uniform. Cut: a diamond can be described as "flawless" only if it has no visible surface or internal imperfections when viewed under 10-power magnification by a skilled diamond specialist. An exceptionally cut diamond can create a beautiful brilliance, and a poorly cut diamond may appear dull. Many gemologists believe how a diamond is cut is the diamond most important attribute.

Always remember the following when you're shopping for jewellery online:

• Make sure a company is legitimate before doing business with it.
• Get the details about the product, as well as the merchant's refund and return policies, before you buy.
• Keep printouts of the web pages with details about the transaction
• Look for an address to write to or a phone number to call if you have a question or need information.

Whether it's for your someone special or for yourself, take the time to compare prices and quality when buying jewellery online. A gift of jewellery can be expensive, but above all, it can be a great pride and the most extraordinary surprise.

There are some websites specialising in jewellery that are well worth a visit, covering a whole range of jewels available for purchase online. We recommend a few that you’ll find on the right hand side of this page. Look out for the bargains they propose. And hopefully, you’ll find the “gem” you’re looking for online.

Good luck with your online purchase,

© Before-buying.co.uk 2006