You can’t go wrong buying a pair of gold earrings for your sweetheart. Gold earrings are timepieces that mark milestones in life and often carry with them a grave element of sentimental value. On a more practical level, gold earrings lend themselves to being suitable for all occasions, as well as any outfit.

Gold itself is quite a peculiar metal. Unlike sterling silver, gold does not tarnish. In addition, those people who are allergic to certain metals or their skin is susceptible to staining because of certain metals, usually find that gold does not cause this problem and suits them just fine. However, they must make sure and wear only gold earrings with a high gold content. Unfortunately, this makes the purchase more expensive, for 18K or 24K earrings are generally required in order to avoid an allergic reaction.

Gold is very versatile and can easily be worked into any shape a metallurgist has in mind. The limit to shaping gold is only as restrained as the imagination of the metallurgist. One ounce of gold can be compressed into an extremely thin sheet that is ten square feet in size. Whether gold is hammered into thin sheets or strands, the metal still remains sturdy.

The most important element of shopping for gold earrings is the karat factor. Karats describe how pure the gold within a pair of earrings is; the higher the percentage of gold in the earrings, the larger the karat. The following are the most common Karat ratings you will encounter when shopping:

24K = Pure Gold
18K = 75% Gold (18 parts gold and 6 parts other metal)
14K = 58.3% Gold (14 parts gold and 10 parts other metal)
12K = 50% Gold (12 parts gold and 12 parts other metal)
10K = 41.7% Gold (10 parts gold and 14 parts other metal)

In the course of your shopping you will come across 14K gold frequently. 14K gold earrings tend to be the most popular because they contain more than 50% gold and are usually reasonably priced; not as expensive as 24K gold earrings and yet not cheap enough to be 10K earrings. If you want to stay on your girl’s good side you want to be sure and avoid 10K.

While 24K gold earrings are nice and your girlfriend or wife will appreciate them, they are also not very practical. Because 24K is pure gold it is quite soft and susceptible to damage, not the sort of practical jewelry accessory for daily wear. It is best to decide on a pair of gold earrings that contain some amount of another metal, so that the earrings are durable, and the price stays low.

Gold can be made into different colors, which means you will have to decide on one when shopping. By adding other metals to gold when creating the earrings metallurgists can create white gold, or by adding copper or silver can create a rosy pink or greenish color to the earrings, respectively. You will have to know what your special someone likes when it comes time to make this decision.

Your final decision should be based on how often the earrings are going to be worn. If you are purchasing the earrings for a special occasion and splurging big by buying 18K or 24K earrings, then it is most likely that the earrings will only be worn occasionally. But if your loved one is looking for something she can wear frequently then your best bet is 14K.

Gold filled or gold plated earrings look just as nice as the authentic ones, and are a great choice if the love of your life is not very particular. However, be careful if she is allergic to metals. If she intends to wear the earrings regularly, there is a chance that the thin layer of gold on the earrings can rub off and leave her vulnerable to the metal underneath.

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