Gold Chains: Lingo and Facts

All that glitters are not gold chains, so spend some time doing your research when you decide to purchase a chain for yourself. Lots of chains on the market are gold plated or simply gold painted. They look good at first but later on the gold wears down and the metal (usually, copper, nickel or zinc) underneath shows through.
Real gold chains are a little pricey ranging from one hundred to one thousand dollars, but gold lasts forever and doesn't tarnish so the expense is well worth it. They can be worn by men or women and make a simple yet elegant statement.
Several types of gold chain are available to purchase. There's the bead which is made of little pieces of gold beads. The curb is the type of gold chain most often shown in ads, with a series of interlocking, oblong, beveled rings. The Figaro is like the curb except that every three links or so the ring is twice as long as the others.
Solid Cable chains look like thick twisted anchor cable, whereas the rope chain looks like well, rope. Snake chains are kind of cool because the links are stacked close together and manage to resemble snake skin. Other types of chain are Popcorn, Singapore, San Marco, Mesh, Omega, Box, Cable and Byzantine.
To reduce cost and weight in larger types of gold chains such as the Woven or Mesh styles the each of the links in the chain are hollow. When the gold chains are referred to as solid chains it simply indicates that the links aren't hollow, not that they are composed of pure gold. Nearly all gold is mixed with another metal like silver or copper because its very soft and will dent easily.
Informed jewelry shoppers feel more confident in their purchases. As a result, they make smarter buying decisions.