There are details...
The world is filled with details. Always has been. (It's true!) It's not a conspiracy..not quite. Almost. Maybe...
if it is...YOU'LL NEVER KNOW!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!
So, to get to it:
Working in metal has a mystique to it, even a mysticism. The local blacksmith was important. His hearth was where tools that grew the community were made, and the tools of War and Defense were created and refined. Those who held (and to this day hold) the knowledge of metal working are the ones who make and break a group. This is science. Before the understanding of science existed, this was how we progressed. Specialized knowledge handed from Master to Apprentice.
This month we will be centering our concentration upon the "Fine Metals."
What are we talking about here? Gold. Silver. Let us start here.
Gold is easy to alloy, works beautifully, and doesn't (in it's pure form) oxidize. (Endirtify...not really a word...)
Gold is traditionally measured in Karats.
Why?
And what does it mean?
The word Karat : from Old French, from Medieval Latin carratus, from Arabic qīrāt weight of four grains, and the traditional weight measure by proportion when creating a Gold based alloy. Late Middle English: from French, from Italian carato, from Arabic qīrāṭ (a unit of weight), from Greek keration 'fruit of the carob' (also denoting a unit of weight), diminutive of keras 'horn', with reference to the elongated seed pod of the carob.
What does this mean? Simply put, carob seeds, being uniform in size and weight, were used as a cross culture standard weight. Measuring the weight of precious stones (Carat Weight), and the weight by proportion of fine metals in making a gold alloy. Karats measure the parts per 24, so that 18 karat = 18/24 = 75% and 24 karat gold is considered 100% gold.
As such: You want a metal more valuable than silver, but not as valuable, nor as malleable, as gold for a new form of coinage? Enter Electrum! (Electrum is believed to have been used in coins circa 600 BC in Lydia under the reign of Alyattes II...and counterfeited later that same year...but, that's another paper for another day...)
(Okay...but, quickly! Here: According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to use gold and silver coins and the first to establish retail shops in permanent locations. It is not known, however, whether Herodotus meant that the Lydians were the first to use coins of pure gold and pure silver or the first precious metal coins in general. Despite this ambiguity, this statement of Herodotus is one of the pieces of evidence often cited in behalf of the argument that Lydians invented coinage, at least in the West, even though the first coins were neither gold nor silver but an alloy of the two.)
A 12K alloy of gold and silver! When weighing out the metals to make the alloy, you separate 12 karat weights (the weight of 12 carob seeds) of pure gold, and you them measure out another 12 karat weights of silver! This will give you the alloy the Ancient World knew as Electrum, and is called in modern parlance "12k Green Gold."
Common gold alloys are:
24k (Not really an alloy...its 24/24ths gold...or "pure")
22k Yellow Gold (22/24 Gold, 1/24 Silver and 1/24 Copper)
18k Yellow Gold (18/24 Gold, 3.5/24 Silver and 3.5/24 Copper
18k White Gold (18/24 Gold, 5/24 Nickel, and 2/24 Silver)
18k Rose Gold (18/24 Gold, 1/24 Silver, and 6/24 Copper)
14k Yellow Gold (14/24 Gold, 5/24 Silver, 5/24 Copper)
14k White Gold (14/24 Gold, 8/24 Nickel, 2/24 Silver)
14k Rose Gold (14/24 Gold, 8/24 Copper, 2/24 Silver)
10k Yellow Gold (10/24 Gold, 7/24 Copper, 7/24 Silver)
10k White Gold (10/24 Gold, 10/24 Nickel, 4/24 Silver)
10k Rose Gold (10/24 Gold, 10/24 Copper, 4/24 Silver)
9k Yellow Gold (9/24 Gold, 8/24 Silver, 7/24 Copper, ?/24 dreams of legitimacy)
9k White Gold (9/24 Gold, 10/24 Silver, 3/24 Copper, 2/24 random elements...boogers...fractured hopes...it's a grab bag, really...)
9k Rose Gold (9/24 Gold, 10/24 Copper, 4/24 Silver, 1/24 Really? REALLY?! GAH!)
Most of these alloys are codified, and standardized across cultures and countries in the modern world, and there are laws that dictate what one can and cannot call "Karat Gold," and this is a good thing. This allows the buyer to know what to expect from each purchase.
While Rome had many laws regarding the purity of their metals, they also turned a blind eye to adulterated metals being traded externally to the Empire. Later cultures tried for standards, when they found their finances being made worthless by having monies cut with inferior metals. (Much of the "Fine Jewels" of the English Royalty on display in the Tower of London are actually plated metals, low karat gold, and spinels. (not "rubies," so much as...well, a red stone consisting not so much of corundum, as a magnesium/aluminium oxide...oops!)
There have always been questions of the "legitimacy" of the gold presented for payment throughout the ages. And the laws that came into being to regulate the coinage of different realms, and cultures have always been contentious.
These standard measurements have been in place specifically to combat the adulteration of coinage. And as such, have made the lives of jewelry workers and metalsmiths easier by virtue of the use of a standard metal language. 14k is 14k, no matter where you put your boots at the end of the day.
These practices may have gone in and out of fashion throughout history, usually as a means to a political end (I'm looking at YOU, England...), and sometimes as a control on market values for means of trade (England...Italy...France...Germany...England...China... England...)., but the common standardization of values and weights always reappeared.
if it is...YOU'LL NEVER KNOW!!! HAHAHAHA!!!!
So, to get to it:
Working in metal has a mystique to it, even a mysticism. The local blacksmith was important. His hearth was where tools that grew the community were made, and the tools of War and Defense were created and refined. Those who held (and to this day hold) the knowledge of metal working are the ones who make and break a group. This is science. Before the understanding of science existed, this was how we progressed. Specialized knowledge handed from Master to Apprentice.
This month we will be centering our concentration upon the "Fine Metals."
What are we talking about here? Gold. Silver. Let us start here.
Gold is easy to alloy, works beautifully, and doesn't (in it's pure form) oxidize. (Endirtify...not really a word...)
Gold is traditionally measured in Karats.
Why?
And what does it mean?
The word Karat : from Old French, from Medieval Latin carratus, from Arabic qīrāt weight of four grains, and the traditional weight measure by proportion when creating a Gold based alloy. Late Middle English: from French, from Italian carato, from Arabic qīrāṭ (a unit of weight), from Greek keration 'fruit of the carob' (also denoting a unit of weight), diminutive of keras 'horn', with reference to the elongated seed pod of the carob.
What does this mean? Simply put, carob seeds, being uniform in size and weight, were used as a cross culture standard weight. Measuring the weight of precious stones (Carat Weight), and the weight by proportion of fine metals in making a gold alloy. Karats measure the parts per 24, so that 18 karat = 18/24 = 75% and 24 karat gold is considered 100% gold.
As such: You want a metal more valuable than silver, but not as valuable, nor as malleable, as gold for a new form of coinage? Enter Electrum! (Electrum is believed to have been used in coins circa 600 BC in Lydia under the reign of Alyattes II...and counterfeited later that same year...but, that's another paper for another day...)
(Okay...but, quickly! Here: According to Herodotus, the Lydians were the first people to use gold and silver coins and the first to establish retail shops in permanent locations. It is not known, however, whether Herodotus meant that the Lydians were the first to use coins of pure gold and pure silver or the first precious metal coins in general. Despite this ambiguity, this statement of Herodotus is one of the pieces of evidence often cited in behalf of the argument that Lydians invented coinage, at least in the West, even though the first coins were neither gold nor silver but an alloy of the two.)
A 12K alloy of gold and silver! When weighing out the metals to make the alloy, you separate 12 karat weights (the weight of 12 carob seeds) of pure gold, and you them measure out another 12 karat weights of silver! This will give you the alloy the Ancient World knew as Electrum, and is called in modern parlance "12k Green Gold."
Common gold alloys are:
24k (Not really an alloy...its 24/24ths gold...or "pure")
22k Yellow Gold (22/24 Gold, 1/24 Silver and 1/24 Copper)
18k Yellow Gold (18/24 Gold, 3.5/24 Silver and 3.5/24 Copper
18k White Gold (18/24 Gold, 5/24 Nickel, and 2/24 Silver)
18k Rose Gold (18/24 Gold, 1/24 Silver, and 6/24 Copper)
14k Yellow Gold (14/24 Gold, 5/24 Silver, 5/24 Copper)
14k White Gold (14/24 Gold, 8/24 Nickel, 2/24 Silver)
14k Rose Gold (14/24 Gold, 8/24 Copper, 2/24 Silver)
10k Yellow Gold (10/24 Gold, 7/24 Copper, 7/24 Silver)
10k White Gold (10/24 Gold, 10/24 Nickel, 4/24 Silver)
10k Rose Gold (10/24 Gold, 10/24 Copper, 4/24 Silver)
9k Yellow Gold (9/24 Gold, 8/24 Silver, 7/24 Copper, ?/24 dreams of legitimacy)
9k White Gold (9/24 Gold, 10/24 Silver, 3/24 Copper, 2/24 random elements...boogers...fractured hopes...it's a grab bag, really...)
9k Rose Gold (9/24 Gold, 10/24 Copper, 4/24 Silver, 1/24 Really? REALLY?! GAH!)
Most of these alloys are codified, and standardized across cultures and countries in the modern world, and there are laws that dictate what one can and cannot call "Karat Gold," and this is a good thing. This allows the buyer to know what to expect from each purchase.
While Rome had many laws regarding the purity of their metals, they also turned a blind eye to adulterated metals being traded externally to the Empire. Later cultures tried for standards, when they found their finances being made worthless by having monies cut with inferior metals. (Much of the "Fine Jewels" of the English Royalty on display in the Tower of London are actually plated metals, low karat gold, and spinels. (not "rubies," so much as...well, a red stone consisting not so much of corundum, as a magnesium/aluminium oxide...oops!)
There have always been questions of the "legitimacy" of the gold presented for payment throughout the ages. And the laws that came into being to regulate the coinage of different realms, and cultures have always been contentious.
These standard measurements have been in place specifically to combat the adulteration of coinage. And as such, have made the lives of jewelry workers and metalsmiths easier by virtue of the use of a standard metal language. 14k is 14k, no matter where you put your boots at the end of the day.
These practices may have gone in and out of fashion throughout history, usually as a means to a political end (I'm looking at YOU, England...), and sometimes as a control on market values for means of trade (England...Italy...France...Germany...England...China... England...)., but the common standardization of values and weights always reappeared.
Some references:
1) Herodotus. Histories, I, 94
2) Carradice and Price, Coinage in the Greek World, Seaby, London, 1988
3) Walter W. Skeat (1888), An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language
4) Comprehensive Jewelry Precious Metals Overview: International Gem Society (IGS) (2015)
5) Coinage and History of the Roman Empire. II: Coinage. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn ISBN 1-57958-316-4
6) Royal Etymological Dictionary, @2013 Harper & Wales
1) Herodotus. Histories, I, 94
2) Carradice and Price, Coinage in the Greek World, Seaby, London, 1988
3) Walter W. Skeat (1888), An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language
4) Comprehensive Jewelry Precious Metals Overview: International Gem Society (IGS) (2015)
5) Coinage and History of the Roman Empire. II: Coinage. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn ISBN 1-57958-316-4
6) Royal Etymological Dictionary, @2013 Harper & Wales
