Bob Hughes wrote:
> 
> No, no. I'd love to hear more, but don't you ever sleep? Or do you have
> the uncanny ability to read in your sleep? ;)

I slept once and didn't like it much. Too much down time involved.

> Heck, I only recently learned of the rolled gold concept by reading my
> Complete Guide to Watch Prices book by Shugart and Gilbert and don't
> remember seeing that mentioned. Of course thats two different things
> anyhow I suppose. The watch here says 14K and "25 Years" on the inside
> back and I gather that means it has been made rather durable alright, as
> you say. Others are listed as quaranteed 10, 15 and 20 years.
> The next watch render is progressing as I type but it now has quite a
> luster to it, looks like an airbrushed painting to me now. Still doesn't
> look exactly right anyhow, but I needed a larger image to look at again.

   The gold I was referring to will not be found on jewellery grade
 materials. It is used primarily in the electronics industry for electrical
 conductivity and the physical properties of gold lend themselves well to
 making tight, non corroding, interconnections.

   The gold used in the production of jewellery is allowed with small
 amounts of silver, platinum, and a good dose of nickel. The lower the
 K number the higher the amount of other metals used in the alloy. 24k
 gold is pure gold for all intensive purposes. You seldom find jewellery
 with anything over 22k and the majority of heavy use jewellery will use
 the much more durable 14k gold. The last contains a a rather large
 amount of nickel in the alloy. Nickel is a lot harder than many people
 would probably think. It is in fact harder than non heat treated steel.

   You can in most cases see a visible difference in the appearance of
 say a 14k gold versus a 24k gold just by the darker color of the metal.
 You may not have noticed it but if you look at a gold ring or even your
 pocket watch and then compare it to a quality fine braided chain for a
 woman's necklace you will see that the ring or watch is much lighter and
 brighter in color. The chains used in jewellery are often a higher purity
 because it makes them easier to craft in the delicate shapes that are
 common for these objects. It also explains why they break so easily.

   On the other hand the nickel gold alloys used to make 14k gold are
 durable, have an attractive general appearance, and hold a high polish
 much longer than the more pure types of gold. This is the primary reason
 for the popularity of it's use and not a method to reduce costs as some
 would unwittingly think.


-- 
Ken Tyler

mailto://tylereng@pacbell.net

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