Articles covering gold facts, diamonds and other jewellery information
What is white gold?
The cheeky answer to this question is ‘there is no such thing a white gold’! Gold is a pure (24 carat) yellow metal found either as native nuggets and flakes or more commonly extracted from ore. There are however a range of white gold alloys available for us in jewellery manufacture… read more
18 ct gold vs 9 ct gold
Is 9ct gold harder than 18ct gold? This is a question we get asked again and again at Metal Urges Fine Jewellery. The simple and correct answer is… read more
Metal allergies
At Metal Urges Fine jewellery, we often encounter customers who believe they are allergic to gold. To this date we have never actually found an individual who is truly allergic to gold, as in its purest form gold is completely hypoallergenic… read more
Gemstone hardness/Mohs hardness
In 1812 a German mineralogist by the name of Friedrich Mohs developed a scale of hardness based upon a harder minerals ability to scratch a softer one. Although quite an antiquated scale, and one available today from a list of many material hardness scales, Mohs scale is still used in the modern Jewellery trade for describing hardness in gem material… read more
Mokume gane vs Damascus steel
If you are looking for a ring that will stand out as special and different you may consider mokume gane or damascus steel as an option. Both metals can make stunning diamond ring designs but it is important to understand the differences between these two unusual jewellery techniques… read more
Tasmanian mokume gane jewellery
It often comes as a surprise when a mokume gane collector discovers that this rare and complicated process is being produced by a jeweller in Hobart, Tasmania. Mokume gane originated in Japan during the 17th Century and was used in highly prized works of art, armor components and edged weapons… read more