Return to Gold
When I began creating custom bridal jewelry back in 2000, I would often encounter the problem of a bride with a gold engagement ring or gold in her dress/other jewelry, who didn't want the rest of her jewelry to be gold. Would it be ok to mix metals? These women did NOT want gold accessories, period, and were endlessly perplexed at the design challenge.
Fast forward to today. Gold is definitely making a comeback. I feel it in the air! I admit, I used to be a gold hater too. But something about the richness of color and warmth has won me over.
Now, you can easily get a gold look without using gold metal. Silver metal with gold stones is a lovely option. Above you can see the chunky faceted citrine gemstone earrings and necklace are made with sterling silver and the metal really sets the color off.
Most bridal jewelry designers will offer a gold option. Handcrafted bridal jewelry can be made however you'd like, so in most cases gold would not be a problem, unless a needed component wasn't available in gold.
Finally, there are a few different types of gold jewelry you should be aware of. Most people know what 10k, 14k, 18, and 24k gold are. The karat indicates the amount of pure gold in the metal, the higher the more pure gold. There is also gold filled and gold plated jewelry. Gold filled jewelry is made when a layer of gold is fused to another metal and it looks and wears like solid gold. It is much more valuable than gold plate, which tends to tarnish and can even turn skin green!
|
