The Jive on Jewelry

Make sure that what you pay for is what you get.

Buying jewelry can be fun, exciting, expensive and confusing. Whether you're considering a gift of jewelry for someone special or as a treat for yourself, take some time to learn the terms used in the industry. Here's some information to help you get the best quality jewelry for your money.

Gold

The word gold, used by itself, means all gold or 24 karat (24K) gold. Because 24K gold is soft, it's usually mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability.

The karat quality marking tells you what proportion of gold is mixed with the other metals. Fourteen karat (14K) jewelry contains 14 parts of gold, mixed in throughout with 10 parts of base metal. The higher the karat rating, the higher the proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry.

Even though jewelry doesn't have to be marked with its karat quality, most is. Next to the karat quality mark, you should see the name or the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The marking of the name or trademark is required by law.

Solid gold can refer to any karat gold if the inside of the item is not hollow. The proportion of gold in the piece of jewelry still is determined by the karat mark. Jewelry can be plated with gold in a variety of ways. Gold plate describes either mechanically plated, electroplate, or any other means of plating gold to a base metal. Eventually, gold plating wears away, but it depends on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is.

Gold-filled, gold overlay and rolled gold plate are terms used to describe jewelry that has a layer of at least 10 karat gold mechanically bonded to a base metal. If the jewelry is marked with one of these terms, the term or abbreviation should follow the karat quality of the gold used (for example, 14K Gold Overlay or 12K RGP). If the layer of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the item, any marking must state the actual percentage of karat gold, such as "1/40 14K Gold Overlay."

Gold electroplate describes jewelry 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—a precious metal that costs more than gold—usually is mixed with other similar metals, known as the platinum group metals: iridium, palladium, ruthenium, rhodium and osmium.

Different markings are used on platinum jewelry 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 or, the item is 90 percent platinum and 10 percent other metals. The abbreviations for platinum—Plat. or Pt.—also can be used in marking jewelry.

Items that contain at least 950 parts per thousand pure platinum can be marked simply platinum. Items that have at least 850 parts per thousand pure platinum can be marked with the amount of pure platinum and the word platinum or an abbreviation (for example, 950 platinum, 900 Plat. or 850 Pt.). Jewelry that contains less than 850 parts per thousand pure platinum, but has a total of 950 parts per thousand of platinum group metals (of which at least 500 parts is pure platinum), may be marked with both the amount of pure platinum and the amount of the other platinum group metals in the piece. For example, the marking 600 Plat. 350 Irid. means that the item has 600 parts per thousand (60%) platinum, and 350 parts per thousand (35%) iridium, totaling 950 parts per thousand of platinum group metals, and 50 parts per thousand (5%) other metals.

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 jewelry may be described as silverplate: a layer of silver is bonded to a base metal. The mark coin silver is used for compounds that contain 90 percent silver. According to the law, quality-marked silver also must bear the name or a U.S. registered trademark of the company or person that will stand behind the mark.

Vermeil (ver-may), a special type of gold plated product, consists of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold.

Pewter items may be described and marked as such if they contain at least 90% tin.

Gemstones

Natural stones 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, [name of manufacturer]-created, or synthetic, are identical to natural stones. The differences are that they do not have the rarity of natural gemstones and their cost: laboratory-created stones are less expensive than naturally mined stones. By contrast, imitation stones resemble natural stones in appearance, and may be glass, plastic, or less costly stones. Laboratory-created and imitation stones must be identified as such.

Gemstones may be measured by weight, size, or both. The basic unit for weighing gemstones is the carat, which is equal to one-fifth (1/5th) of a gram. Carats are divided into 100 units, called "points." For example, a half-carat gemstone would weigh .50 carats or 50 points. When gemstones are measured by dimensions, the size is expressed in millimeters.

Gemstone treatments or enhancements refer to the way some gems are altered or treated to improve their appearance or durability. The effects of some treatments may lessen or change over time and some treated stones may require special care. Therefore, ask the salesperson whether the stone you're considering has been treated, and if so, whether the treatment is permanent and if the treated stone requires special care. Sometimes, enhancement affects the value of a stone.

Some common treatments and their effects include:

• Heating can lighten, darken or change the color of some gems.

• Irradiating can add more color to colored diamonds and certain other stones.

• Impregnating some gems with colorless oils or wax masks a variety of imperfections, hides cracks, and improves color.

• Fracture filling hides cracks or fractures in gems by injecting plastic resins into the cracks.

• Diffusion treatment adds color to the surface of colorless gems; for some gems, the center of the stone remains colorless.

• Dyeing adds color and improves color uniformity in some gems.

• Bleaching lightens and whitens ivory and pearl.

Diamonds

A diamond’s value is based on four criteria: color, cut, clarity, and carat. The clarity and color of a diamond usually are graded. However, scales are not uniform: a "D" may be the best color for one scale, but not for another. Make sure you know how a particular scale and grade represent the color or clarity of the diamond you're considering. A diamond can be described as "flawless" only if it has no visible surface cracks or other imperfections when viewed under 10-power magnification by a skilled diamond grader.

As with other gems, diamond weight usually is stated in carats. Diamond weight may be described in decimal or fractional parts of a carat. If the weight is given in decimal parts of a carat, the figure should be accurate to the last decimal place. For example, ".30 carat" could represent a diamond that weighs between .295 - .304 carat. Some retailers describe diamond weight in fractions and use the fraction to represent a range of weights. For example, a diamond described as 1/2 carat could weigh between .47 - .54 carat. If diamond weight is stated as fractional parts of a carat, the retailer should disclose two things: that the weight is not exact, and the reasonable range of weight for each fraction or the weight tolerance being used.

Diamonds may be treated to improve their appearance. Since these treatments improve the clarity of the diamond, some jewelers refer to them as clarity enhancement. One type of treatment—fracture filling—conceals cracks in diamonds by filling them with a foreign substance. This filling may not be permanent and jewelers should tell you if the diamond you're considering has been fracture-filled.

Another treatment—lasering—involves the use of a laser beam to improve the appearance of diamonds that have black inclusions or spots. A laser beam is aimed at the inclusion. Acid is then forced through a tunnel—made by the laser beam—to remove the inclusion or make it invisible to the naked eye. Lasering is permanent. While retailers are not required to tell you whether lasering has been done, you may want to ask.

Imitation diamonds, such as cubic zirconia, resemble diamonds in appearance but are much less costly. Certain laboratory-created gemstones also resemble diamonds and may not be adequately detected by the detectors originally used to identify cubic zirconia. Ask your jeweler if he has the current testing equipment to distinguish between diamonds and other lab-created gemstones.

Pearls

Natural or real pearls are made by oysters and other mollusks. Cultured pearls also are made by mollusks, but with human intervention; that is, an irritant introduced into the shells causes a pearl to grow. Imitation pearls are man-made. Because very few natural pearls now are on the market, most pearls used in jewelry are either cultured or imitation pearls. Cultured pearls, because they are made by mollusks, usually are more expensive than imitation pearls. Jewelers should tell you if the pearls are cultured or imitation.

Some black pearls occur that way in nature; some, however, are dyed through various processes. The dye on the black pearls can last a long time, but may not be permanent. Therefore, you should ask whether the black pearls being purchased are naturally colored or dyed.

A pearl’s value is based on its size, usually stated in millimeters, and the coating of nacre, which gives it iridescence.

A Jewelry Shopper’s Checklist

When you're in the market for a piece of jewelry for yourself or someone you love, shop around. Compare quality, price, and service. If you're not familiar with any jewelers in your area, ask family members, friends, and co-workers for recommendations. You also should:

• Ask for the store’s refund and return policy. Check for the appropriate markings on metal jewelry before you buy.

• For simple gold jewelry, without special design or workmanship, comparison shop for the best price based on the item’s gram weight and the price of gold per gram.

• Ask whether the pearls are natural, cultured, or imitation.

• Ask whether a gemstone is natural, laboratory-created, or imitation.

• Ask whether the gemstone has been treated. Is the change permanent? Is special care required?

• Make sure the jeweler writes on the sales receipt any information you relied on when making your purchase, such as the gem’s weight or size. Some jewelers also may supply a grading report from a gemological laboratory.

For More Information

Although the FTC cannot intervene in individual disputes, it is interested in hearing about problems involving jewelry. When sending complaints to the jewelry company, send copies of the correspondence to the Commission. Write: Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580; or call 202-326-2222. TDD: 202-326-2502.