We buy a ton of gold! Because we manufacture jewelery we usually pay much more. Bring us your best offer and chances are we will beat it! The value is determined by the karat (14, 18, ect), the weight, and the market price of gold. [close]

24 karat gold is pure with no alloys and its much too soft to use as jewelery. The difference between white and yellow gold lies in the alloys. The main alloy for white gold is nickel. The main alloy for yellow gold is brass. Since nickel is white it masks most of the yellow color in the resulting metal. Also since nickel is harder than brass white gold is about five times harder than yellow gold. [close]

Rhodium finish is a hard white electroplating that is applied to all white gold jewelery. This makes the jewelery whiter than white gold. Also the rhodium is harder than white gold so the normal wear it recieves in the show case is less noticable. The rhodium finish can wear off in places in as little as 6 weeks. The only time the ring really looks awkward is when the eye can compare rhodium to white gold in the worn areas. At that point it can be reapplied or completely polished off. Rerhodium finishing usually costs $20-25 and can be done while you wait. [close]

Karats, when refering to gold, is talking about how much of the metal is gold. 24 Karat gold is pure gold, however, it is much too soft for jewelery. 14 karat gold means it is 14 parts gold and 10 parts alloy. 10 karat is 10 parts gold and 14 parts alloy. [close]

Trenton Jewelers actually manufactures in platinum. Platinum is whiter than white gold and does not require rhodium finish. This means that you can have a whiter ring with less maintenance. Platinum is also much more durable than even white gold, more dense and much more valuable. Platinum rings are less likely to show wear and can go much longer without needing repair. Platinum is commonly used in prongs for this reason. When you buy a platinum ring you are creating an heirloom that you can pass down. [close]