The material used and the jewelry itself was and continues to be status symbols. The jewelry excavated that dated back to the pre medieval and post medieval times are almost all made of gold. Gold or the Royal Metal is used to make solid gold, gold filled and gold plated jewelry.

The twenty four carat gold is also referred to as pure gold. This form of the metal is extremely soft and usually avoided in jewelry making since it loses shape easily. Most of the solid gold pieces used in gold jewelry making are of eighteen karat, fourteen karat or ten carat.

These varieties enable goldsmiths the world over to design jewelry pieces like chains, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, etc easily and offer the clientele the benefit of owning gold and the durability needed to pass on the heirlooms. The designs of gold jewelry differ region to region and culture to culture, with incorporated symbols and signs that are clan or community specific.

Gold filled jewelry comes next in line, after solid gold jewelry. This type of gold jewelry involves a base metal covered by a sheet of gold. The malleability enables the metals to appear as one and the piece can be beaten to any shape and worked upon. The ratio of five percent of the gold to the total weight has not affected the market for gold filled jewelry.

Generally the eighteen carat gold variety is used over the base metal that could be silver, sterling silver or any other metal. This jewelry lasts for years and makes great heirloom pieces to hand down. However, care should be taken while wearing and preserving this type of jewelry. Too much exposure to water or lack of proper storage will only result in the gold wearing off the top and the exposure of the base metal, reducing the value of the piece.

Gold plated jewelry is usually a thin sheet of gold worked upon a base metal. However, in gold plated jewelry, the sheet used is very thin and the value of the jewelry pieces is much lower. To look after your gold jewelry, you should first and foremost educate yourself on the maintenance.

You should only use a solution of any mild liquid soap and water. After dunking the pieces in for a while, you should wipe them dry with a clean cloth. Always use a non abrasive material for wiping the gold jewelry. The chosen liquid soap should also be proven 'mild' and not strong or there is risk of the gold being removed as you wipe the pieces.

You should ideally maintain the jewelry in separate pouches. Keep them in a place that is easily accessible and yet safe, so that you can keep flaunting the pieces that get you that envious second glance and secure the heirloom for the younger generations.