Gold and Silver are both malleable and ductile, chemically stable by themselves and can be recycled and remodelled into a whole host of objects. Gold preserves its lustre over prolonged periods of time and will not chip, flake or corrode. Highly polished silver is the best reflector of light and it retains its strength regardless of distortion.
Unfortunately, none of the forgoing means that either of them are indestructible. Gold is measured in carats and they an indication of its purity. Most of us first discover the importance of gold ranges when we get married and the choices are usually from 9 carats (9ct), 18ct, 22ct and 24ct.
The purer the gold, the softer it is, until, in its purest form of 24 carats, it becomes one of the softest metals known. Purer gold scratches and buckles easily with any kind of abrasion or force and so is highly recommended that you remove rings or similar jewellery before perfuming any kind of manual work. In much the same way, several rings on the same finger will often cause a ring to suffer deep scratches and particularly if they are of different carats and perhaps worst of all if one or more of them contains harder substances like diamonds.
It might come as a surprise to discover that most gold jewellery can be cleaned in warm soapy water and any angular areas around stones or the back of the item, which may be indented can be scrubbed with an old soft toothbrush after dipping it in the soapy solution. Gold also responds well to a light rubbing with a rouge-impregnated cloth which gives it a shine and is available in most supermarkets.
18ct gold and higher will not generally suffer from discolouration or tarnish and isn't harmed by contact with household chemicals. Be aware though that bleach and other cleaning products will damage lower carat gold however because they aren't so pure (they are alloys) and are therefore much more prone to damage by corrosive chemicals.
