Gold Body Jewelry - Which Gold Body Jewelry is Safest to Buy?

If you are considering buying gold body jewelry, you should know not all gold body jewelry is the same. Not only is there a huge discrepancy in cost between various types of gold, but some pieces are safe for your piercing while others are not. Let's take a closer look to help you understand the difference...

Types Of Gold Body Jewelry

Like any other type of jewelry, body jewelry is made from all sorts of different materials. Some pieces are crafted from plastic or wood, but most are from some sort of metal. The most popular are steel, titanium, silver, and gold.

Each of these metals come in varying degrees of quality, usually measured by pureness. A metal that contains more pure gold, for example, is higher quality than a lower level gold. The common terminology is carat weight, so a piece that is 24 carat is considerably higher quality than a 10 carat item.

In body jewelry, you will find gold pieces in all price ranges, from a few dollars up to a few hundred dollars. Unfortunately, cost isn't the only difference. There is also the issue of quality, durability, and safety.

What To Look For

If you're considering buying a piece of gold body jewelry and it only costs a few dollars, it is likely the item is only plated. Whether it's silver, gold, or any other metal, plated pieces are risky. These items are much more likely to irritate your piercing, or worse yet, cause a rash or infection.

Your best bet is to buy pieces which contain higher levels of pure gold. For reference, 24 carat is 100% pure. Then, there are lower levels, like 18, 14, and 10 carat. 10 carat is the lowest level that can be labeled as gold, as it is only about 42% pure.

With a 10 carat piece, the remaining metal percentage is filler. Gold itself is soft, so other metals are used to strengthen the item. Unfortunately, these metals can easily irritate a piercing.

Without getting too technical, your best bet is 18 carat. It is 75% pure and high quality. 14 carat generally shouldn't give you any problems, but it depends from person to person.

If cost is a consideration, consider surgical steel and titanium pieces. These metals are safe and normally cost less than $20. Plastic, wood, and glass are other lower cost materials, but these tend to be much less durable, particularly plastic and glass.

Summary

When looking at body jewelry, always balance cost considerations with quality. The most important quality factor is how compatible the piece will be with your piercing. To be safe, always buy an item that has a higher gold carat weight. Generally speaking, 18 carat gold body jewelry is the best balance between high quality and reasonable cost.