Gold is famous for its glittering appearance and expensive price. Gold symbolizes wealth, and many people buy it for preservation and appreciation purposes. If you have bought gold, or are wearing gold jewelry, then this article will take you on an in-depth tour of what gold is all about.
What is Gold
Gold, with the chemical element symbol Au, is a soft, gold-colored, corrosion-resistant precious metal and a natural, non-renewable resource. It is characterized by stability, scarcity and high liquidity, so it is not only a special currency used for reserves and investment, but also an important material for the jewelry industry, electronics, modern communications, aerospace and aviation industries.
Does Gold Rust
Gold does not rust. It doesn’t react easily with other elements, which means it won’t rust like iron or react with sulfides in the atmosphere to form a surface film. However, in some cases, gold may develop a surface discoloration or tarnish that looks like rust.
The following are some of the causes of rust-like appearance on the surface of gold:
1. Contact with iron-containing substances: If the surface of gold is in contact with iron-containing substances, it may have an oxidizing reaction to form red rust spots after contact with water.
2.Contact cosmetics or mercury-containing chemicals: Some cosmetics or mercury-containing chemicals may react with gold, resulting in white spots or discoloration on the surface.
3. Sweat: human sweat contains water and other impurities, gold long time contact with human sweat, may lead to the surface of the black chemical salt.
Why Gold Doesn’t Rust
Gold is a very stable element, and if you wear or store it properly, it is largely unaffected by environmental factors around you.The following is the principle that gold will not rust:
1.Chemical inactivity: Gold is the most inactive chemical properties of all metals, not easy to chemical reaction with other elements.
2. Physical stability: The ductility and density of gold is far more than other metals, making it more physically stable. The melting point and boiling point of gold is also very high, further enhance its stability.
3.Not easy to adsorb impurities: The chemical affinity of the sulfide on the surface of gold is very strong, not easy to adsorb hydrogen sulfide acidic gases in the air, so it is not easy to form corrosion layer.
4.Environmental factors: Gold can maintain its luster and integrity in harsh environments, because gold is not easy to react with water or other substances in the air.
How to Maintain and Care for Gold
How to Prevent Gold from Deformation
Gold has a soft texture and is unusually malleable, which means it can deform very easily.
Here are the reasons and solutions for possible deformation:
1. Close to wear: Generally speaking close to wear gold jewelry deformation chance is greater. So in strenuous activities or do housework, it is best to close the gold jewelry removed, in order to prevent accidental collision or friction lead to deformation.
2.Excessive extrusion: Gold is very susceptible to pressure or mechanical force, so try to isolate with other items when stored.
3.Environmental temperature: Gold exposed to high temperature environment for a long time, such as in sauna or hot water bath, may lead to gold deformation. Therefore, gold should be avoided to be exposed to high temperature environment for a long time.
For the above reasons, storing gold separately in a box or cloth bag and then placing it in a cool and dry environment is the best choice. If your stored gold becomes deformed, it is recommended that you seek the help of a restoration professional.
How to Prevent Gold from Losing its Luster
After we wear gold for a long time, it gradually becomes lose luster, here are a few ways I have compiled to restore the luster of gold:
- Gold jewelry because of sweat, cosmetic residues and other factors and gradually lose the light, you can use boiling hot thick rice soup scrub or use the leftover rice water at home panning, soak the jewelry, not only to soak away the dirt, but also increase the brightness.
- If the surface of the gold lusterless, prepare a small bowl, add the appropriate amount of toothpaste, white vinegar, salt, detergent and baking soda, mix well, put the gold into which soaked for twenty minutes, remove the gold with water to rinse and dry, this time the gold has been restored to the original luster.
- If the chain or jewelry made of gold has a fine grain, you can get a special gold jewelry store and seek professional help.I hope the above methods can help you restore your gold to its original state.
How to Store Gold Properly
Do not contact with chemicals; gold should avoid acid, sulfur, lead, mercury and other chemicals such as kitchen fumes, cosmetics, toiletries, etc. when storing.
1.Avoid light: long time strong light irradiation will make the surface of gold jewelry oxidation, lose luster, therefore, gold jewelry storage first to avoid light.
2.Separate storage: Compared with platinum, K gold and silver, gold is softer, the surface is easy to scratch, so more attention should be paid to separate storage.
3.Proper cleaning: If temporarily not wear, it is recommended that the gold carefully cleaned before storage.
How to Remove Red Rust from Gold
If you find that the surface of gold is covered with a reddish-brown color, please don’t worry, it may be due to the following reasons:
The gold has come into contact with copper and iron ions in the air and then other acidic substances, then it will turn red. If it is serious like rust, there is no need to worry at all, in fact, it is not rust.
The solution is also very simple, just need to take the fire will be restored to the original, if it is not convenient to take the fire, then your daily use of toothpaste can also be easily scrubbed off the layer of traces.
Preguntas frecuentes
Will Gold Rust in W¿Ater?
Gold will not rust or change color in water. Therefore, it is not a problem for gold jewelry to be touched by water under normal circumstances, such as washing hands and face, and no special treatment is needed.
Gold Cannot Touch W¿Ater?
Gold should not be exposed to water mixed with other ingredients such as perfume, sweat and bath water.
Perfume and body lotion, shampoo may contain lead, mercury and other chemicals, which will have a chemical reaction with gold and easily lead to white spots on the surface of gold jewelry.
Some people sweat more, although the saline component contained in the sweat is not much, but regular sweating, it is still recommended not to wear gold jewelry, because sweat is easy to cause damage to the surface of the gold.
In addition, there will be asked gold in salt water will rust? The answer is no, gold in salt water will not rust, may lose luster, but definitely not rust.
Can Different Types of Gold R¿ust?
14k gold can rust, it is not solid gold and is not pure, it contains other elements such as silver and copper which may lose their luster or rust over time.
In addition, 10k gold, 18k gold, rose gold, white gold is not pure gold, as other metals are added to this type of gold, so it is more prone to “rust” than gold.
Does Fake Gold Rust?
Yes, fake gold has many complex components in it that are inherently capable of rusting.
Does Gold Tarnish Over Time?
Yes, gold loses its luster. Whether it’s solid gold, white gold, rose gold, 10K gold, 14K gold, 18K gold, etc., it will lose its luster over time. So it is important to keep it in your daily life as well as maintain it properly.
Conclusión
Based on the above, we can clearly learn that gold does not rust. Therefore, both investors and collectors should take appropriate measures to prevent gold from wear and tear or contamination to ensure its long-lasting beauty and ability to retain value.