Lots of different kinds of materials can be used to create ornaments. In ancient times, copper ornaments were popular. Then, they gave way to bronze or brass pieces. After gold and silver became more readily available, the price of jewelry was affected, but more and more people became interested in buying trinkets. Other popular trinket materials include pearls, platinum, and diamonds. Even so, the most popular material for jewelry is gold, and it retains its popularity right down to the present day.

Gold is, however, quite costly. Because of this people on limited incomes, or generally the 'middle class', are not able to afford to buy jewelry made from pure gold. Generally some lesser material, such as copper or silver, is mixed in with the gold to create a less costly jewelry. This process does not decrease the visual appeal of the gold jewelry.

The amount of additional gold in an alloy made of gold and a less costly metal is measured by a unit called carat. If you go to a jewelry shop, you can see a number and a sign for carat marked against each ornament. 24 carat depicts pure gold whereas 18 carat gold means that the ornament is made of an alloy that contains 75 percent gold and 25 percent of some other less precious metal.

It is very difficult to make 24 carat gold ornaments because gold is a malleable but weak material. Because of its low tensile strength, small pieces can chip off from an ornament made out of pure gold. Only gold biscuits or coins made of almost pure gold are available for buyers. Other than these, you will have to choose from the alloyed gold jewelry.

If you are not one of those people who can expend a fortune on gold jewelry, don't be dismayed. There are a variety of ways to buy jewelry that looks just as good, often better, than 22 carat jewelry. One way to do this is to buy semi precious jewelry that combines semi precious stones like sapphires, rubies, and emeralds with 14k jewelry.

You may also go for silver jewelry that has been plated with gold. This looks similar to jewelry made from gold. If the quality of gold plating or polish is good, it becomes extremely difficult to tell the difference with the naked eye.