How soft is pure gold? A THREE year real world experiment.

Weiss

This is the 3rd installment of an annual series. I made a similar post about a year ago.

Way back in 2005, I came across a jeweler in Canada with a workforce of Vietnamese jewelers who specialized in making .999 pure gold jewelry. It sounds pretty crazy to most Americans: We've been told forever that "pure gold is too soft for jewelry", so we've been sold 18k (75% pure), 14k (58.3% pure), and even 10k (only 41.7% pure). But as a metals hound, I learned many years ago that lots of cultures wear jewelry much more pure than ours. The standard in Europe is mostly 18k. In the middle-east, the standard is typically 22k. And in much of Asia, the standard is at least 22k and often 24k pure gold. And as a coin collector, we all know that gold coins have traditionally been at least 90% pure gold, and coins are some of the hardest-working machines in human history.

Curious and disappointed with the purity and cost of mid-karat gold, I commissioned a 2 ounce "baht" necklace. Baht is a traditional unit of weight in Asia, where one baht = 15.244 grams. It's also a generic name for jewelry that is made, bought, and sold by weight. It's so ubiquitous, it's even the name of the currency in Thailand (formerly "Siam" or land of gold).

That necklace was a traditional baht style, complete with the traditional "M" shaped clasp. There are no moving parts to that style of clasp--pure gold is so malleable you literally twist the clasp to open it, twist and pinch it back shut to close it!

That first 2-ounce baht necklace cost me a whopping $1120 including manufacture, shipping, and insurance And that's the other great thing about this style of jewelry. The jewelers don't charge anywhere near what American retailers charge. It's a commodity to them. Their skill is incredible, but their overhead is very low. So the cost over the cost of the metal is in percentages instead of multiples like it is for retail jewelry.

I wore that first necklace often, but eventually I started paring down what I wore and put it in the jewelry box.

Then metals started really getting interesting to me again maybe 4 years ago. And gold prices seemed relatively low. So I searched for another jeweler who worked in 24k gold and found one in St. Paul. This Hmong jeweler does dazzling stuff and their prices were super low. I did some due diligence, then pulled the trigger. I consulted with the jeweler to come up with a weight, a length, and ultimately a style that was the least gaudy that a necklace weighing 150+ grams (5 troy ounces) can be.

It only took about a week to get my prize, and I've worn it pretty much every day since then (08-02-18). So that's been just about 3 years now. How has she held up?

2018, just after she arrived:

And here's how she looks as of 11:00 am 09-20-2021:

So she's lost maybe 1/5th of a gram--though that could be atmosphere, battery power, etc. She's "softened" just a bit. The edges of the anchor chain style are not quite as crisp. But that's fine with me. No signs of cracks, splits, breaks. I never use the clasp, simply slip the whole thing over my head.
As Covid started to lift, I began wearing both chains. I do that on and off. But I always wear at least the big one.

pcgscacgold

Wow, that is amazing. I like the photos. I bought a few raw $5's, $10's and $20's two years ago after seeing dealer displays at the ANA. Raw gold coinage is really cool. Fun to handle.

Thanks for sharing your adventure.

cladking

It's hard to believe Americans will pay $5,000 per ounce for debased gold jewelry. It's really a racket more than a business with most jewelry costing at least three times the gold value with some going as high as thirty times. Then the jewelers buy it back for 50 to 75% of gold value.

I always tell people to buy used jewelry and try to get Italian or Asian.

pmh1nic

My wife and I have 22K jewelry and never had any thing break due to the softness of the metal. The color has remained the same which I like.

coinsarefun

What an Uber cool experiment! I too have a few of my jewelry at 18kt but prefer and own 22 and 24kt.
22k for rings, 24k for necklaces. Living near downtown Los Angeles is nice because they have countless jewelers that can do anything you want to have made and have done so. But, what I wear every day and have never taken off in 6 years plus is one of the 3- 24kt necklaces with a pendant I had made that is gold in quartz from the sixteen to one mine.
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The necklaces are made in Asia and is a rope pattern with clasp. I forget the weight but, the pendant is heavier.
In those 6 plus years I have managed to break them only a few times and that was while I was sleeping. I guess while tossing and turning I managed to break it.That’s why I have a few. So I have it repaired and wear the other one.
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I would think my example would prove that 24kt gold is not all that fragile.

PeakRarities

Informative post, thanks for sharing! Many people who buy gold jewelry don’t even question the weight in actual gold when they buy something, and thus pay incredible premiums for generic necklaces and chains. My chain is 14k but it was custom made by a manufacturer and I knew exactly what the premium was compared to the gold cost.

PerryHall

Very cool necklace. Do you have matching ear rings?

Samuel8

In Hong Kong and China, all gold jewelry is 999.9, which is 999.9%0.
18K, 22K are not considered jewelry.
If you go to Chinatown you can find those stores.

vulcanize

I saw a lot of 22K gold jewelry in Dubai and their main clientele seemed to be Indians who add copper to make it 22K gold with some touting "915 mark" which made me curious and upon investigating it, came across as 91.5% Gold, or 915 on the European scale.

https://annapjay.com/blogs/apjs-blog/gold-five-ways-what-karat-weight-means

bolivarshagnasty

It's funny, something made me think of your past thread recently. Great way to "invest" in jewelry if your going to buy it anyway. What length of the anchor necklace allows you to slip it over your head? Thanks for your post.

asheland

Cool thread! I remember that chain when you first had it made. A very cool piece!

Weiss

@bolivarshagnasty said:
It's funny, something made me think of your past thread recently. Great way to "invest" in jewelry if your going to buy it anyway. What length of the anchor necklace allows you to slip it over your head? Thanks for your post.

Yep. And I'm way up on this necklace (though of course it's not likely I'll sell it anytime soon). My records indicate I paid $7250, or about $1450 per ounce--which includes making the thing, plus shipping it.

kiyote

Mene has a webpage selling 24 karat pendants, chains, earrings, etc.. Not only that, but it shows you the base value of the metal in the surcharge you have to pay extra.

CoinJunkie

Interesting post. My days of wearing jewelry (other than a ring) are long behind me. I will note that I've never considered coins to be machines.

PerryHall

@CoinJunkie said:
Interesting post. My days of wearing jewelry (other than a ring) are long behind me. I will note that I've never considered coins to be machines.

Agree. If coins are machines then I guess jewelry must be infrastructure.

Namvet69

Both necklaces are really nice. The info is priceless. Peace Roy

LukeMarshall

@Weiss , I joked about you needing a ten oz one next, and it’s interesting that @kiyote brings up Menē as they have a chain that is around 10oz of 24k pure gold

The premium is quite steep on the chain though IMO

Ive purchased a few pieces from them, but they were all platinum and they have held up nicely as well.

Thanks for sharing the Gold Pics!

Mizzou

Very interesting, I like gold jewelry but only wear it on my days off. I work inside 480 volt panels and gold is a very good conductor for electricity.

Crypto

I have a 4 ounce bracelet and a 2 ounce necklace but they are 585 standard. I have a 5 ounce+ platinum bracelet that is 950 and it’s beefy. I like the watch band style to replace Swiss watches when I am “off the clock”

Cool post

PerryHall

You guys need to put on a fashion show for us.