The Ultimate Guide to Buying 916 Gold (22K) Jewellery
What is 916 Gold?
Before we start off, it is important to know what exactly is 916 Gold. To put it simply, 916 gold is the same as 22 karat gold, or also known as 22K. The number ‘916’ is actually used to denote the purity of gold in the final product, which means 91.6% or 91.6 grams of pure gold in 100 gram of alloy. The figure 916 is thus also 22 karat by 24 karat (22/24).
You will be able to see the gold purity (916) from the hallmark on every piece of jewellery as seen in the images below.
The general rule is that the value of gold is proportionate to its purity - the purer the gold, the higher the value. Therefore, the quality of 916 Gold is considered extremely fine and valuable – and also notoriously difficult to work with.
Budget
Now, one of the first things that should come to your mind when choosing what jewellery to buy should be the budget. This would then lead to the size and type of jewellery to choose from. If you have a leaner budget, you can always opt for lighter weight or smaller pieces of jewellery such as minimalistic earrings or rings. On the other hand, if you have a more flexible budget, you would have more options to choose from. These includes fancier bangles and necklaces, or even jewellery that are embellished with precious gemstones or diamonds!
Leaner Budget: Arthesdam Jewellery Endless Prosperity Sparkling Earrings in 916 Gold (Left)
Higher Budget: Arthesdam Jewellery Princess Stone Earrings in 916 Gold (Right)
Style
When choosing a piece of fine jewelry, either as a gift to yourself or another person, it is also important to determine what kind of personal style the person has, then choose something that fits in with that style. Some good questions to ask yourself would be: What is the person’s wardrobe like? Is it more formal or casual? Do they tend to wear frilly, feminine things, or does their style skew towards more minimalist?
It is important to get a handle on these things, because when you choose the jewelry, you’ll want it to match and look great with what the person usually wears. They will be more likely to be happy with the chosen jewelry if it is chosen with their style in mind.
Fancy/Feminine Look: Arthesdam Jewellery Three-Colour Dancing Hearts Bracelet in 916 Gold (Left)
Minimalistic/Clean Look: Arthesdam Jewellery Flat Chain Bracelet in 916 Gold (Right)
Where to buy?
Last but not least, after you have thought about the budget and style to go for, it is the time to find the right retailer. One advice for customers is to buy from reputable and trusted jewelers/retailers who have a good track record and have been in the market for a long time. It is important to go to retailers who are able to prove the authenticity and purity of their gold jewellery. The best way would be to look out for vendors with a complete set of Hallmarks, which is the best form of consumer protection and guarantee of the purity of precious metals. What you can see in the images below is a Hallmark from Singapore Assay Office (SAO) - a lion’s head.
Now that we have gone through some guidelines in choosing and buying your 916 Gold jewellery, namely budget, style and vendor, you are now one huge step closer to finding the perfect piece of jewellery!
References:
https://goldsilver.com/blog/22k-24k-gold-jewelry-buyers-guide/
https://www.bankbazaar.com/gold-rate/hallmark-kdm-916-varieties-of-gold.html
https://www.jewelryshoppingguide.com/guide-how-to-buy-gold-jewelry/
http://www.jewelrywise.com/just-for-you/article/buying-jewelry-for-yourself-the-ultimate-guide