Gold filled jewelry is a wonderful and cost effective alternative to traditional gold jewelry. Gold Filled, is completely different from gold plated. Gold filled jewelry has much higher thickness of gold, and will not tarnish, crack or peel, as Gold plated metals.

Gold-filled jewelry is composed of a solid layer of gold bonded with heat and pressure to a base metal such as brass. Some high quality gold-filled pieces have the look, luster, and beauty of 14 karat (58%) gold. By definition, the minimum layer of karat gold in an item stamped GF must equal at least 1/20 the weight of the total item. 1/20 12kt GF is the most common stamp you will find on gold-filled jewelry. 10kt and 14kt are also common karatages. Gold filled items, even with daily wear, can last up to 30 years.

The gold layer on gold-plated jewelry varies greatly depending on manufacturer, so there is no single, simple comparison. Gold-filled items are 50 to 100,000 times thicker than regular gold plating, and 17 to 25,000 times thicker than heavy gold electroplate (sometimes stamped HGE or HGP -- usually found on flashy cubic zirconia "cocktail rings").

Sterling Silver

Pure silver, also called fine silver, is relatively soft, very malleable, and easily damaged so it is commonly combined with other metals to produce a more durable product. The most popular of these alloys is sterling silver, which consists of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper.

Sterling silver is very popular in fashion and traditional jewelry. It pairs well with most colors of semi-precious gems and pearls, and meets almost every woman's taste.

At times when the jewelry is not worn and to minimize the tarnishing of silver, it is best to keep it sealed in a plastic bag, away from air.

Almost all the pearls available and sold in the market today are all cultured pearls. These cultured pearls come with different names such as Fresh Water pearls, Sea water Akoya pearls, South sea pearls and Tahitian pearls. They all come in different sizes, shapes and colors.

Akoya Pearls

Akoya pearls are the classic SALTWATER CULTURED PEARLS, and typically have the highest luster and greatest shine of all cultured pearls. Typical Akoya pearls range from 5 mm to 11 mm, with the 10 and 11 mm sizes rare finds. The most common size and the best value is between 7.0mm - 7.5mm. The Akoya pearl is either white or cream in body color and typically have rose and silver overtones. Akoya pearls may also be treated to produce different shades of gray, and a beautiful black color, with peacock or blue overtones.

Freshwater Pearls

Freshwater pearls come from freshwater mussels and are primarily produced by China. Freshwater pearls come in various pastel shades of white, black, pink, peach, lavender, plum, purple, and tangerine, depending on the type of mussel. The typical size of freshwater pearls is 2mm - 16mm with 7mm - 8mm being the most common. Freshwater pearls are rich in orient, an optical effect where rainbows of colors shimmer beneath the pearl's surface. Orient is commonly found in freshwater pearls due to their composition of pure nacre.

There are six factors that determine the value of pearls:

1. Pearl luster : A combination of surface brilliance and inner glow.
2. Pearl Nacre : The iridescent internal layer of a mollusk shell. It is a natural substance oyster secretes to protect its sensitive flesh. The thin nacre is very prone to peeling and chipping whereas thicker layer commands more value because of its greater luster depth.
3. Pearl Surface : Higher quality pearls have none or very few imperfections with a smooth shiny surface.
4. Pearl Size : Pearls are commonly measured in millimeters (mm) in their diameter. Most pearls sold today are between 6.5mm and 7.5mm. Larger size pearls have higher value.
5. Pearl Color: Surface color or body color. The natural pearl colors are white, cream, and pink. Again within each category there are common overtones.
6. Pearl Shape : The perfect round shape always have high values but near round or off round are very much common. Pearl necklaces are not restricted to round shape pearls only and other shapes like tear drop, pear, potato, coin and irregular baroque shapes, are equally popular among women and commonly used by jewelers and designers alike.