I'm debating whether to buy gold or silver jewelry. I need the jewelry to be extremely durable as I have a very active lifestyle. Which is more durable? Gold or silver jewelry?

In terms of natural durability silver is actually stronger than gold. At a closer observation of the Mohs Scale of elements, which is a chart indicating the natural hardness of certain elements, it could be seen that silver is ranked higher than gold in terms of hardness. Silver is valued at a hardness of 2.7 by the Mohs scale, while gold is marked just below, at a value of 2.5 by the Mohs scale of elements. However, despite the fact that gold is naturally soft and thus less durable, in most cases gold is mixed with other metals in order to provide the piece of jewelry better durability properties. This mixture of different alloys accounts for the karat value of gold – the lower the karat is, the lower the concentration of gold is within the composition is. The highest possible karat value a gold jewelry could get is 24 karats, at which state the gold is indeed very soft and could not suit your strict durability requirements. However, if you were to choose gold jewelry pieces ranked at 18 karat, 16 karat or 14 karat, you could be sure that the gold jewelry is extremely durable and could fit your needs. Silver jewelry, differently to gold jewelry, is composed out of about 92 percent of sterling silver itself, making the silver jewelry also very durable. Either choice you make, you could be sure that your silver jewelry or lower karat gold jewelry is designed to last and it could endure your active lifestyle.

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Both gold and silver jewelry can be durable, depending on the metallic alloys' karat weight and composition. For instance, if you were interested in durable gold jewelry, then your best option would be to purchase jewelry with a low karat weight. Pure gold with a high karat weight is extremely malleable. Therefore, gold which is lower in karat is often mixed with such metals as nickel, zinc and copper, which strengthen the gold's structure. Thus, the lower the karat of the gold and the less pure it is, the more durable it'll be. Pure silver can also be quite malleable (although not as malleable as pure gold). Thus, pure silver is almost never used in jewelry, it is commonly mixed with either copper or zinc. What we call silver jewelry is actually sterling silver jewelry. Sterling silver is composed of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Sterling silver jewelry can be just as durable and as long-lasting as low karat gold jewelry,

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When in fact it is true that silver is more durable than high karat gold, I would still recommend you purchase gold jewelry since silver jewelry often requires a large amount of care and attention, while gold jewelry is generally easier to maintain. Silver is a metallic alloy which is prone to oxidation and can tarnish rather easily and quickly. Therefore, silver jewelry and other items made out of silver need to constantly be cleaned and polished so as to avoid any permanent discoloration of this precious metal. In terms of longevity, gold jewelry will keep its natural luster and sheen while silver will corrode and ruin. If you are concerned with the strength of these metallic alloys, in terms of their susceptibility to scratches and dents, then I recommend you purchase gold jewelry which is made out of low karat gold. Low karat gold jewelry is far less malleable than high karat gold jewelry and is significantly easier to care for than silver jewelry. If you are looking for 'no fuss no muss' jewelry then you can't go wrong with low karat gold jewelry pieces.

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