Women have been interested in jewelry and precious metals since ancient times. Purple (or violet) gold is no exception. The fair sex has had an interest in purple gold since ancient Egypt. Jewelry made from purple gold looks sophisticated and elegant, and the alloy is perfect for making jewelry.
From purple gold you can make both a small and quite massive decoration. Purple gold is popular among women of all income levels and from different walks of life.
Purple Gold - History
In combination with various precious stones, purple gold looks especially beautiful. Such jewelry can be considered real works of jewelry art.
People first heard about purple gold in the last century after the First World War, more precisely in the 30s. Quite interesting is the fact that in ancient times purple gold was very popular. But then it disappeared somewhere. They started talking about it again only about a hundred years ago during the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun. Archaeologists have found interesting jewelry and items made of unusual metal that they had not encountered before. Ancient jewelry has undergone several serious tests. And as a result of the expert opinion of scientists, they found out that this metal is purple gold.
In decor
But its use is not limited to the jewelry industry. In the arts, this type of alloy is used to decorate sculptures, paintings, and crystal products.
Purple gold is also used in microprocessor technologies. However, the metal alloy, due to its instability, is subject to oxidation of the adhesions of aluminum and pure gold.
Scientists in the chemical industry have learned to produce a special composition based on purple gold by combining it with molten glass. As a result, the gold acquired a ruby color.
The modern nanotechnology industry has made it possible to mine purple gold in laboratory conditions. The process of joining microparticles of metals made it possible to achieve the production of a higher quality alloy. Egyptian scientists have begun to use lasers to produce the precious alloy. The main goal is to reduce the cost of precious metal production.
Purple Gold Today
Today, purple metal rarely surprises anyone. Modern jewelers are accustomed to working with it. And women love to receive purple or rose gold as a gift.
The scope of application of this metal is very wide. In addition to jewelry of extraordinary beauty, other things are made from purple gold. For example, it is often used for painting dishes and interior elements. Chemists also regularly work with violet gold, obtaining various solutions based on it.
How to wear such gold?
Unfortunately, the alloy does not have the best characteristics for use. Products require careful storage and handling. If you go to the website of the Singapore company (the world's most famous producer of purple gold), you can see recommendations for caring for the products. This helps to extend the service life and preserve the appearance and quality. You need to do this correctly:
- Jewelry should not be subjected to mechanical stress or contact with chemicals.
- It is not recommended to clean this type of jewelry, take a shower or wash dishes; avoid any contact with water.
- To remove smudges and fingerprints, use a cloth dampened with water. Be sure to dry the product with a cloth or napkin after this.
Since purple gold is rare and fragile, products are almost never made entirely from it. There may be inserts or inclusions in standard alloys. And if it is necessary to make a large part of the decoration, then a frame made of stronger metal is used. The disadvantage of this alloy is oxidation, which leads to the jewelry losing its appearance.
In addition, when purchasing a product, you should take into account one more point - you will not be able to repair it. Nobody does this, not only because few craftsmen are familiar with it, but also because both remelting and the inclusion of solders can disrupt the integrity of the alloy, because the manufacturing technology is still not fully known.
There is also purple gold produced in Turkey. Its production technology differs from Singapore's, which leads to losses in brightness and color saturation, but the cost is much lower.
Where can I buy it?
Purple gold is in demand all over the world. In almost every country and city you can find several jewelry stores that sell it. Singapore is considered the most famous place. “Aspial-Lee Hwa Jewelery” is a chain of jewelry stores whose calling card is purple gold.
When buying jewelry, pay attention to details, being careful of fakes, which are not uncommon these days. For example, you should always remember that the original purple gold has a purity of 18-19 carats.
“Purple gold” is the second store in the jewelry market, where you can also buy purple jewelry made from original material.
When purchasing jewelry in Singapore, always check for a trust seal. This is a special "QJS" badge. It is awarded exclusively by the Singapore Trade Association.
Where can I buy or sell?
Purple gold is an exclusive item. In Russia, it can only be purchased in online stores - official representatives of the Singaporean company Aspial. This company bought the patent for the invention from Lo Peng Cham.
You should be wary of Turkish companies that offer non-ferrous gold alloys. The quality of such goods is much lower than that of Singaporean manufacturers.
You can sell jewelry at a pawnshop, but the price will be much lower than the store price. Selling through a private ad will return most of the money spent. However, you should be more careful about your own safety.
How much is 1 gram of purple gold worth today?
The purple precious metal is valued an order of magnitude higher than traditional jewelry. Reasons for high cost:
- complex production process;
- lack of competition in the market.
Here are the current prices for purple jewelry:
| Price 999 standard according to the Central Bank | Market value of the sample today | Scrap price | Price in jewelry |
Purple gold - price
As for the cost of the products, they have a fairly high price, since the metal is of a high class. Purple gold lovers know that a single wrist bracelet can easily cost one thousand dollars, or even more if it has many gemstones.
Purple gold contains 80% pure gold. And the remaining 20% is aluminum, which is added to obtain a noble shade.
Purple gold is not a particularly unique material, but it remains rare. The demand for such products can hardly be called great. It is rarely bought. The reason is the pricing policy due to the high cost of production. In other words, purple gold is expensive because it costs the manufacturer a lot of money to produce the purple-colored metal. Now we can hope that after some time, manufacturers will be able to simplify the production process with the help of modern technologies. This will significantly reduce the cost of both the purple metal itself and jewelry made from it.
How was purple metal created?
The formula for purple gold was that aluminum had to be alloyed with gold. This chemical compound gave the gold alloy its purple color. From a scientific point of view, this is explained in the form of the formula AuAI2, where two atoms of aluminum correspond to one atom of gold itself. In this way it is possible to achieve purple shades of metal. But in addition to the color itself, good quality metal is necessary. Unfortunately, the intermetallic compounds of purple gold were very brittle, which meant that further processing was simply not allowed. The alloy of gold and aluminum had to melt at a temperature of 5000 degrees.
Purple gold alloy
In European countries, products made of purple gold began to go on sale around 2000. This created a real sensation in the market. The precious metal has gained popularity not only in European countries, but also in the eastern part of the world.
Professor Lo Peng Cham was able to present an improved version of the alloy in 1999. It had a purity of 19 carats. Palladium was added to it as a complement to aluminum. But the basis of the metal to this day remains 80% yellow gold. Immediately after the opening, the Aspial jewelry corporation bought the production technology. The jewelry company still keeps all the nuances of the formula for making violet metal in the strictest confidence. After all, it took the creator of the formula 30 years to learn how to produce high-quality purple gold suitable for jewelry.
Application of this alloy
Amethyst gold is used only in jewelry. This alloy often becomes a problem in microelectronics. It sometimes occurs at the junction of gold and aluminum contacts. Due to their high fragility, such boards quickly fail.
In jewelry, violet alloy is used as a gemstone - as inserts. It is surrounded by yellow or white gold. A product made entirely of amethyst material, such as a ring, has a frame made of a more stable metal. Most often, earrings, pendants and necklaces are decorated with this precious metal.
Precious metal of purple shades is used for inlaying works of art: sculptures, paintings, glass and crystal objects.
Technological difficulties of production
As stated earlier, purple gold is quite difficult to obtain. The reason is both the complex formula for making the metal and the expensive production process.
Metals such as gold, aluminum and palladium are quite different in their properties. To obtain a single alloy of the desired shade from them is not an easy task. Gold has a high density, which is 7 times higher than the density of aluminum. And the melting temperature of the metal is twice the difference. At first glance, it seems that it is impossible to solve this problem. But Professor Lo Peng Cham from Singapore solved this riddle, thanks to which today you can buy unique jewelry made of beautiful purple gold.
Shade range
The formula for producing purple gold allows jewelers to play with a wide range of shades. You can get a fairly dark matte purple shade, or you can get a lighter pink color. It is also possible to add green and olive shades.
Purple gold has a grade of 750-800. In Singapore, it is customary for purple gold to be 19 karat. This is 792–800 samples.
Methods of obtaining
The main method for obtaining purple shades is melting. Due to the difference in the physical properties of gold and aluminum, this process is labor-intensive and complex.
There are other ways to make rare material. For example, RAS scientists use the experience of nanotechnology. Microparticles of aurum and aluminum are used in the production process. The resulting material has better qualities than conventional alloy. Egyptian scientists were able to obtain a purple alloy using a laser. The main task that inventors have to solve is to reduce the cost of the production process.
Popularity of jewelry
If a couple of decades ago few people had heard of the existence of this metal, today many women want to receive a ring or earrings made of the purple alloy as a gift. Residents of East Asia, the USA, France, Russia and Great Britain prefer to pamper themselves with interesting jewelry not only made of amethyst gold, but black, green and white.
The peculiarity of metal is that it is quite pleasant and comfortable to wear. Scientists explained this by the fact that purple gold has the best possible compatibility with human skin, and is also not capable of causing allergic reactions. While low-carat gold jewelry is not for everyone, purple jewelry is an excellent alternative that will not irritate even the most sensitive skin.
Tea TWG
Photo source: napitkistore.ru
Famous Singaporean luxury tea brand. The brand has the world's largest collection of tea varieties - more than a thousand types from almost 40 countries.
Price:
15-40 sgd per 100 grams of tea or 9-25 €, 11-30 $, 700-1870 ₽.
The brand is also notable for its tea with 24-karat gold. 100 grams of this tea cost 900 sgd - 582 €, 680 $, 42,989 ₽.
Where to buy purple gold products in Russia?
Purple gold can be found in many jewelry stores today. Especially in large cities. Yes, perhaps the product range will not be as rich as, for example, yellow gold, but these products have a special uniqueness. Each purple piece of jewelry is a true work of art that came from the hands of an experienced and skilled jewelry craftsman.
Jewelry stores “Aspial-Lee Hwa Jewelery” and “Goldheart Jewelery” sell only original metal, the quality of which you can be sure of. These jewelry brands have many options for purple gold jewelry. From such a range of products you can always choose something to suit every taste.
Kaya jam
Photo source: amazon.com
Kaya paste is a coconut jam that is Singapore's favorite breakfast treat. It can be bought in many shopping centers on counter islands. For example, Ya Kun Kaya, in Toast box coffee shops, BreadTalk store or in the gift-shop of the Botanical Garden.
Price - 3-8 sgd per jar or 2-5 €, 2.2-6 $, 143-380 ₽ or 15-20 sgd for a gift package of four mini-jars - that's 10-13 €, 11-15 $, 716-955 RUR.
Purple gold - subtleties of care
Jewelry made from purple gold requires special care when worn, as the material is quite fragile. Therefore, it is recommended to follow special recommendations:
- Remove jewelry in the gym, on the beach and before cleaning the apartment;
- Do not allow aggressive agents to come into contact with the products;
- It is better to wash gold with plain water or soap;
- If there is significant contamination, it is better to take it to a specialist who will return your jewelry to its original appearance.
Purple gold is an amazing and unique metal. it was very popular in the ancient world and was valued among the pharaohs. Today, scientists have restored the manufacturing formula, thanks to which we can once again be able to enjoy purple gold jewelry.
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Tags: where to buy, Purple gold - how much gold is in the alloy, price per gram
Recommendations for care, cleaning and storage
A golden alloy of purple shades requires the most careful handling. Such jewelry is not intended for everyday use. Recommendations to help preserve your jewelry:
- When swimming, cleaning, physical labor, or playing sports, you must remove jewelry.
- It is better to store jewelry in a separate case, avoiding rooms with high humidity.
- Do not expose to aggressive cleaning agents.
- You can clean it with soapy water and a cloth; in case of serious contamination, it is preferable to contact a specialist.
