Buying gold jewelry is not like buying burgers from McDonald's! Gold jewelry is a high value item, and one which almost always goes up in value over time. Gold jewelry then becomes sentimental in value, and the intrinsic value of the jewelry, so how do you make the right decision when buying gold jewelry?

There are many jewelers that sell gold jewelry, and though many are reputable and sell gold jewelry that is what it says it is, though it is always something to consider. When buying gold jewelry inside the US, look for jewelers that are members of Jewelers of America. In other countries outside the US there will often be some body or association that marks a set of standards for the jewelers that are members. It is always a good idea to make sure they have that membership as it shows in most cases that you are getting what is actually being advertised.

When buying gold jewelry you will find that you will hear about karats. Karats are a way of measuring the pureness of gold jewelry. Because the gold metal is soft in its pure form and unsuitable for wearing it is often added with other metals to make it stronger. For example 24 karat gold is pure gold and as such is very soft. Gold in this state is easily malleable and would bend and change shape every time you wear it.

24 karat gold is mostly used for other uses. 18 karat gold is the next level down and is 75% pure gold, then 12 karat gold which is 50% pure gold. Another karat of gold you may find is 10 karat gold which is actually only 41.7% pure gold. As you get to the lower karats the more strong the gold jewelry, but also the less real gold contained within the gold jewelry. It will be a point for you to consider which you want.

Anything lower than 10 karat gold is not really classed as gold, so much so that in the US it is against the law to label an item as being gold if it is less than 10 karats. Again going to reputable jewelers with membership to an official body will eliminate any problems. You can find reputable gold jewelry stores online, and they will also show a graphic or some information about there reputability and membership to an official gold jewelry body.

All gold jewelry will come with a karat mark. If you find jewelry without this mark either online or offline it is best to take it back, as it could end up being an item with no gold in it or one which has less than 10 karats. When you look at gold jewelry to buy, you will also see a logo or emblem of the jewelry manufacturer. This information again is important. As jewelry with a known emblem or logo is going to be more likely to be genuine.

When buying online it can be harder to find this information. Though most reputable online gold jewelry retailers will have images of the hall mark and will provide the information you need. If in doubt, you can always contact the online retailer before parting with your money.