GoldPaq

Jewelry has Been Around a Long Time

Since Egypt of 3000 BC gold has been used to make jewelry honoring the rich and powerful, namely royalty and religious figures.

Globally Revered

Throughout time this precious metal has been held in almost reverent regard by unrelated cultures across the globe.

Gold has always been prized for its natural beauty and the duality of its nature, strong enough to last forever and soft enough to be manipulated into the most delicate of strands.

These factors combined with golds refusal to tarnish means that jewelry made thousands of years ago in Egypt can exist today in almost pristine condition, just look at King Tuts treasure.

The Jewelry Market

In the past most of the gold mined from the earth was used to make jewelry, however in recent years worldwide factors have created a shift in the market.

Jewelry is largely considered a luxury item and generally purchased during times of prosperity

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The current uncertainty of many economies means that people are not as inclined to purchase luxury items.

Plus the fixed and rising price of gold makes it a stable investment and has created a heightened demand for pure bullion and coins.

Behind the Scenes: Production Process

Now that we have a little history and understanding of the jewelry market, we can explain the basic process behind the making of jewelry.

Step 1 - Mining

First things first, every gram of gold in existence was mined from deep within the earth.

Whether mined by a large commercial mining company or discovered by small time prospectors, every ounce required blood, sweat and tears to pull it from the earth.

In recent years technology has allowed us to build bigger and better machines both for mining and for extracting gold ore in larger and larger scales.

Step 2 - Refining and Recycling

Mining is taxing to both the environment and to the miners who brave dismal working conditions to excavate the ore.

Refining and recycling is not good for the environment, but its consequences are far surpassed by the mining industry.

In that respect the price of gold has risen in every sense and created a snowballing demand for large-scale recycling of precious metals.

The gold recycling industry is booming both due to an increased global environmental awareness and the instability of many economies.

Step 3 - Distribution

Once gold is either mined or recycled and refined into its purest form it is ready to be manipulated into something new.

Jewelers often purchase gold in pure 24K form, although generally they will combine this with different metals for hardness and color properties.

Commercial jewelers purchase on a high volume level
Independent jewelers purchase smaller quantity

Step 4 - Stone Selection

The perfect precious stone or pearl can both enhance and perfect a gold piece, so selection can be a tedious process.

Mined from the various sources where they are found naturally the value of precious stones goes up the harder they are to find.

There are two different types of stones typically used in fine jewelry.

1. Precious stones - The rarest and hardest to mine, they include diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires and pearls (although technically not a stone).
2. Semi-precious stones - More commonly found, although still prized and widely used in fine jewelry, includes amethyst, aquamarine, topaz, opal, lapis-lazuli and more.

The value of semi and precious stones is determined by many factors

The main factors considered are
Carat - Measures the mass of precious stones, generally the larger and / or more dense the stone the more carats it weighs.
Clarity - Because precious stones are mined from the earth, often they posses blemishes or what is known as inclusions. These imperfections are measured based on how dark and obvious they are.
Cut - There are many different ways to cut gemstones, some are valued higher because they require far more precision and skill to create.

Step 5 - Creating the Jewelry

Jewelers and goldsmiths combine gold and gemstones to design new jewelry.

On a commercial scale prototype pieces are developed and if well received replicated in bulk, while independent jewelers and artists create unique and original works of art.

Both making their product in the hopes of attracting specific sections of gold jewelry consumers.

Stay tuned as we further explore the jewelry making industry, we’ll keep you updated on the most recent jewelry news, different goldsmithing methods and even offer tips on making your own gold jewelry.

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