Complete Guide to Fine Jewellery
OUR GOLD STANDARD 👑
Metals most commonly used in jewellery are silver, platinum and gold. When buying jewellery you might have come across terms like “gold-plated” or “solid-gold”. You will also notice that gold is referred to in karats. The term “karat” (with a k!) refers to the fineness or purity of gold, while the term carat (with a c!) refers to the weight of stones. For example, the description “24-karat gold ring” tells you the fineness/purity of the ring whereas the description “24-carat gold ring” simply tells you how heavy the ring is (which doesn’t give you information about impurities).
The price of jewellery is determined by the quality of the design and production as well as the metal and stones used. The higher the quality of all, the more expensive the piece of jewellery will be.
Pure gold is 24 karat (24K), this is the maximum possible value in the karat unit system. 24K means 99.9% purity, the highest you can buy. Gold is heavy and it doesn’t tarnish, but it is softer than most other metals (silver does tarnish, so it needs more care than gold). The softness of gold gives it the advantage to shape and mold into tiny pieces. However, the softness of 24K gold has the disadvantage that it can easily be bent and scratched, so it’s impractical for daily wear. In fact, a gold band can probably be easily bent out of shape with just bare hands. Also pure gold is very bright, much brighter and more orange than most people associate pure gold with and it is very expensive. Hence, to make gold more durable (and affordable) it is mixed with other metals. The most common karat level used in gold jewellery are 18K (75% gold purity) and 14K (58% gold purity).
It is important to understand that “gold-plated” is NOT gold jewellery. Gold plated jewellery is made of a base metal (e.g. copper or silver) that has a very thin layer of gold applied to the top. The layer is so thin, that it can usually be rubbed off very easily. When buying gold plated jewellery, you should consider the gold plating as nothing more than a coloring (an aesthetic attribute) – there is almost no inherent value to the gold applied. It doesn’t matter if it’s 24K, 14K or 18K gold.
OUR DIAMONDS 💎
At Bahia we carefully select each diamond we use on our fine jewellery. We mainly work with natural diamonds. When it comes to custom-made pieces and to diamonds larger than 0.3cts we are in contact with the client and you get to pick the diamond you prefer, certified by GIA or HRD.
NATURAL DIAMONDS: Every jewel piece comes with a certificate of authenticity, detailing the total carat weight, the colour, the clarity (for larger diamonds) and the cut. A certified gemmological certificate can be offered upon request, but with an extra cost. Natural diamonds never lose their value. We want our pieces to become your future family heirlooms and last a lifetime.
LAB-GROWN DIAMONDS: When lab-grown diamonds are requested for a unique custom-made piece or used in a ready-to-buy piece from our collection, it will be clearly stated that it is a lab-grown diamond and you will receive it with a GIA certificate.
OUR COLOURED GEMSTONES 🟢🔴🔵
We pride ourselves on choosing natural and durable coloured gemstones bringing beauty and rich colour on every jewel piece. Natural coloured gemstones present specific hues and characteristic inclusions, depending on their country of origin. We always keep in touch with our clients about their preferences.
EMERALD: Prized for its vivid green colour, most emeralds have inclusions, revealing their natural beauty and origin. When set in jewellery, this gemstone adds an earthy feel to it.
RUBY: Rich vivid red colour and very high hardness, 9 at Mohs scale characterize this gemstone. Depending on its origin, it shows a variation of inclusions. Jewellery made with ruby represents passion.
SAPPHIRE: Dreamy rich blue colour with a very high hardness, 9 at Mohs scale this gemstone has been characterized as Royal. Why? Because it has been used in Royals jewellery collections. Fancy-coloured sapphires are also used in our high-end jewellery pieces.
MORE JUICY GEMS: Topaz, amethyst, garnet and many more natural gemstones can be found in our jewellery collection. As custom-made pieces are our passion, you can use any gemstone you prefer on any of our pieces and create a unique sentimental jewel piece.