We Love Gold

August 29, 2017

Monkeys had a few good weeks traveling around meeting different artists, business owners, friends and families. We always love trips like this as we get to exchange ideas and get inspired by others. Also very grateful to meet our friends and families and know that everyone is doing well. Coming back is always the toughest at the beginning. Not only are we adjusting jet lag but we also need to catch up with our orders! Luckily, our customers have been very understanding.

We have seen many different styles of gold jewelry during this trip. Fascinated by different artists and techniques, one thing particularly interesting is that in Asia, most gold jewelry is made out of 18K gold. However, in the United States, most jewelers uses 14k gold instead. So what is the difference between 14k and 18k? Lets take a look below.

 

Understanding Gold Jewelry

Gold is a precious metal, generally more expensive but will retain its values and will last indefinitely with proper care.  Here are some basic information about gold.

1. Karat amounts in gold - Gold is measured in karat and 24 karat (K) means 100% gold (pure gold).  Pure gold is soft thus it is often mixed with other base metal to make jewelry.  The higher the karat the more expensive the piece is.

A quick list of common karat value versus percentage of gold.

• 10 Karat = 41.67%
• 14 Karat = 58.33%
• 18 Karat = 75%
• 22 Karat = 91.67%
• 24 Karat = 100%

2. Karat markings - "Hallmark" is the marking of the specific karat quality. It is usually found on the inside or the back of the jewelry. For example 14K, 18K etc.

3. Gold weight - Gold is usually weighed in grams.  Heavier and thicker pieces are typically more durable but also more expensive.

4. Gold color - Yellow is the most popular gold color but they also come in white, rose, brown, green and blue!  Gold color can also affect price.

In general, pure gold is soft (not as durable) thus lower karat gold jewelry are harder and more durable (less gold content with more base metal).  Lower gold content also means lower cost.  However, higher gold content gives more gold tone.  Either way, gold should be taken care of in order to last a lifetime and maintain its value.

 

Gold Jewelry Care

All jewelry should be the last thing to put on in the morning yet the first thing to take off at night to avoid having contact with unnecessary chemical such as perfume and lotions. Chemicals can dull the gold while some can even break down the gold. Never wear gold jewelry in swimming pool or hot tub as Chlorine (or similar chemical) can permanently discolor gold.

To prevent scratches and tangles, it is best to separate gold jewelry in velvet-lined jewelry boxes. You can also wrap each piece separately with a soft cloth if the jewelry box is not velvet-lined or if you have to stack them together.  

Every six months you can use mild detergent (few drops) mix with warm water (small bowl) to clean gold jewelry.   Soak the jewelry in this solution for 3 hours then scrub each piece with a cotton swab or a soft-bristled child toothbrush. Rinse off the piece with warm water and dry it off with a soft cloth or air dry.

 

Please note that Monkeys Always Look uses 14k on all gold jewelry (more popular in the United States).  Other karat is available upon request.  

 

 

 

We Love Butterflies!

We started a little science project before we left town. Summer is definitely a caterpillar season. Since we have a little garden right outside our studio, we seem to attract a lot of caterpillar crawling into our studio every summer. This summer we caught a few and watched them turned into butterflies! It was such a fun and amazing project for the kids!  We found out that our caterpillars love to eat cabbage and we used one of our old fish tank as the butterfly cage. We put cardboards and tree branches inside the fish tank for them to crawl and move around.  Since they love to crawl upwards, we also close off the tank top opening with a piece of mesh.  It is just amazing to see how a caterpillar turns into butterfly!!!

 

Riddles Time!

1. What kind of room has no doors or window?
2. Which month has 28 days?
3. What can you catch but not throw?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1a) Mushroom

2a) All of them, of course

3a) A cold

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