There is a reason why I wear sterling gold jewellery over higher-quality ones. Here’s a fast and simple example to explain why.

Prepare a block of butter and a metallic knife. Take the knife, and hold it over a flame for roughly a minute or 2. Next, take the tip of the knife and conscientiously run it through the outside of the butter. Observe the resulting groove on the butter.

That is what happens to high-karat gold when you get careless.

Let’s face it. Gold isn’t the toughest metal out there, and you really cannot expect it to hold up against even the tiniest pressure. Sure, your 25 karat gold necklace may be worth a cool million bucks, but even the tiniest contact with anything will slash its worth by half.

And this is precisely why I favor sterling gold over higher-quality ones. My wedding ring and favourite necklace will survive even if I flail my arms around and run a bit when I’m in a rush.

Practicality is the name of the game, and I want to be in a position to move around while looking good. Leave the ultra-high quality gold pieces for the ultra-formal events, or better yet leave them in the bank to serve as investments for the future.

So if someone offers you a pure-gold jewellery piece, think twice about purchasing it off the bat. Pure gold might be more costly, but only sterling gold will be tricky enough to survive the wear and tear of common-or-garden life.

Posted in Finance ~