Goldschmuck
A brief history of gold alloys
In Europe, it was forbidden to produce gold alloys from metals other than these three until the end of the 19th century: Alloys in 14-, 16- and 18-carat gold were common. As well as the lower alloys with a mixing ratio of 9 carat in England and 8 carat in Germany. Pure gold is labelled as 24 carat in this fineness system.
Today, more precisely since the Stamp Act of 1881, the common alloys of 8-, 14- and 18-carats are officially labelled and stamped in their thousand parts 333, 585 and 750.
While gold alloys are defined in carats according to their weight, today's fineness specifications are derived from their mass. Based on this, the alloy yellow gold 750, for example, is to be understood as a mixture of 750 thousand parts fine gold and 250 thousand parts alloy additive.
Gold as a material - a classic favourite of jewellery lovers for thousands of years
Gold was one of the first metals to be admired and worked by humans. Early pieces of jewellery made of gold can be found as far back as the 4th millennium BC and even today, the warm, noble lustre of gold has a magic that every jewellery lover knows only too well.
The different colours of gold, which can be achieved by mixing the three basic components (gold, silver and copper) in different ways, have been known and used for centuries. A high alloy content of copper gives gold a reddish to red colour.
Red and rose gold in particular are currently experiencing a real revival in modern jewellery, where they demonstrate their distinguished appearance, especially in combination with coloured gemstones. However, many of our historical pieces of jewellery are also presented in this attractive alloy, which flatters all skin types.