Select your correct ring size / click here:
International Ring Sizes
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Karat with a “K” is the measurement of Gold purity |
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Carat with a “C” measures the size of a gemstone
Pure Gold is a rare and valuable metal. AGUSTUS-Collection is using mainly high carat Gold (18K - 22K Gold). The color of high-karat gold is very close to being pure gold.
The karat scale measures the proportion of Gold in an alloy. The word karat originates from the carob seed, which was originally used to balance scales in Oriental bazaars when jewelry was being measured.
AGUSTUS-Collection handcrafts its magnificent jewelry and components by using only the finest Gold.
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Gold Alloys |
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Gold% |
(Karat) |
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99.99% |
24 K |
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95.83% |
23 K |
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91.66% |
22 K |
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75.00 % |
18 K |
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58.33% |
14 K |
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41.67 % |
10 K |
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33.33 % |
8 K |
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How to care for your High Karat Gold |
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- High karat Gold jewelry can be quite sensitive and soft. Handle them with care to preserve their beauty.
- To avoid scratches and damage, store your Gold jewelry separately in an individual case or pouch.
- Only use warm water (or quality jewelry cleaning products) when cleaning dust or dirt from jewelry pieces. |
Gold Granulation
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Old-world goldsmithing brings the past into the present with detailed surface decoration that suits antique and contemporary designs
Granulation, the art of creating a surface pattern on jewelry with tiny gold balls, dates back to the third millennium BC. The technique, invented in the Eastern Mediterranean and Egypt and later refined by Etruscan goldsmiths, looks as fresh and inventive today as it must have then.
The process begins when wire is cut into short lengths and melted into round granules that are placed on the jewelry in the desired pattern. They’re held in place with a temporary “glue” made from plant sap. In the best examples, the balls are attached permanently with heating (which evaporates the glue), not soldering. But it’s a difficult process because the temperature has to be hot enough to fuse the gold ball to the surface, but not enough to melt the ball into an amorphous puddle.
Granulation involves high-karat gold. The purer the material, the easier it will be to achieve the fusion required for granulation.
People are instantly attracted to granulation because of the connection to ancestors.
They also react strongly to a pattern created with the rich color of high-karat gold. The high karat gold granulation is the same color as the pure gold bar from which it’s made.
Colored gemstones look particularly enticing in granulated jewelry because the rich colors complement each other.
Why the attraction to AGUSTUS-Collection granulated jewelry
- Each piece of granulated jewelry is handmade and one-of-a-kind
- The jewelry is very close to being pure gold with an intense color
- The jewelry is contemporary in design and historical in technique, making it timeless and forever fashionable.
- Granulation is best in necklaces, pendants, earrings and in rings
- Each piece of jewelry displays the intricacy and detail that goes into each design.
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Gemstone Grading
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Clean/IF |
Eye Clean |
Crystal Transparent |
VSI
(very slight inclusions) |
SI
(slight inclusions) |
Included / PK
(Pique)
Translucent
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Internally flawless. These gems are clean and of the highest quality. |
Gems are clean to the naked eye.
AAA High quality, these gems have small inclusions which are difficult to see under LOUPE with 10 x lens magnification. |
These gems are transparent & have excellent brilliance. They might have some minor inclusions, common to that particular gem type, but these do not deter from the rarity & beauty of the gem. The word "crystal" is commonly used in all major global gemstone sources. |
Very good, these gems contain small inclusions, silk or pin-pricks which are not visible to naked eye. They will not diminish the brilliance & beauty of the gem when set into jewelry. |
Good quality, these gems have SLIGHT inclusions visible to naked eye, the beauty of gems however, is not diminished. |
These gems have some larger and/or many minor inclusions and are translucent. |
South Sea Pearl Grading
South Sea cultured pearls are exceptional quality pearls. They are white, with a whitish, almost silver color to ivory and yellow.
Much larger than the average pearl, the smoothness and roundness of these pearls are exceptional. These are the rarest and extraordinary pearls you'll find in jewelry.
South Sea pearls come from the white-lipped variety of the pinctada maxima oyster. This oyster is much larger than the oysters that produce Akoya and Freshwater pearls, so the pearl that it produces is much larger as well. Because of the rarity and sensitivity of this type of oyster, cultivation of these pearls is much more difficult, making them more expensive.
Pearl is one of the Birthstones for the month of June.
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South Sea Pearl Grading |
Description |
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AAA+ to AAAA+ |
Excellent Luster; Minor Blesmishing to Clean Surface
(95% Inclusion Free Surface or Better);
Extremely High Reflection
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AA+/AAA |
Excellent Luster; Very Light to Minor Blemishing;
Very High Reflection
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AA+ |
Very Good Luster; Very Light Blemishing;
High Reflection
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AA |
Good Luster; Moderate Blemishing;
Good Reflection
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A/A+ |
Poor Luster; Blemished; Weak Reflection
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Note: Even the highest quality organically cultivated pearls show signs of nature and are never 100% free of minor blemishes.
Tahitian South Sea Pearls
Tahitian cultured pearls are cultivated from the black-lipped variety of the pinctada maxima oyster which reaches a foot or more in diameter, and produces very large pearls. This oyster is very sensitive to the pearl culturing process, which makes the pearls very costly to produce.
A gift of Tahitian cultured pearls makes an extraordinary, unique gift.
Tahitian pearls offer a dramatic touch.
The natural black color of these pearls comes from the color of the oyster's black lips.
These pearls are traditionally called "black," but their color can range from metallic silver, to the color of pencil lead. And within this range of colors they can have bluish, purplish, or greenish overtones.
Akoya Pearls
If you're looking for classic pearls, look to Akoya pearls. The Akoya is the most popular pearl, commonly seen in pearl strands.
Akoya pearls are the specialty of Japanese pearl farms. The first pearls to be cultured early in the 1920s, their white color and rosé overtone complement a fair complexion. Akoya pearls have only minor blemishes and a deep, beautiful luster.
You may notice that the Akoya looks very similar to the Freshwater pearl. When compared side-by-side, the difference is clear. Besides being more expensive, Akoya pearls are on average larger, smoother, rounder, and more lustrous than Freshwater pearls. If you're looking for a remarkable gift, choose a gift of Akoya cultured pearl jewelry.
Freshwater Pearl Grading
In every 10,000 mussels, you might be lucky enough to find a single natural pearl. Because of this scarcity, most pearls today are cultured pearls.
Most Freshwater pearls come from Japan and China, and are the product of an elaborate process in which a single resilient mussel can be harvested many times, yielding several pearls at a time.
When a cultured pearl develops it is naturally coated in layers of a beautiful, pearlescent substance called nacre which builds up to create a lustrous pearl.
As natural pearls also cultured pearls may have blemishes (blister or spot) on the surface.
The rainbow effect that seems to encircle a pearl's surface is also called Orient.
Many Freshwater pearls look remarkably similar to Seawater pearl, but Freshwater pearls are available for almost 1/5 the price of Seawater pearls. The only tradeoff is that Freshwater pearls are generally smaller, less symmetrical, and not as well matched when strung on a strand. But if you're looking for pearls at an outstanding value, Freshwater pearls are perfect.
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Freshwater Pearl Grading
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Description
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AAA to AAA+ |
Excellent Luster; Clean Nacre of 95% Inclusion Free Surface or Better; Excellent Matching; Top 1% of a Pearl Farm's Harvest.
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AA+ |
Excellent Luster; Clean Nacre of 90-95% Inclusion Free Surface; Excellent Matching; Top 5% of a Pearl Farm's Harvest.
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AA |
Good Luster, Good Nacre of 80-90% Inclusion Free Surface; Good Matching; Top 15% of a Pearl Farm's Harvest.
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A/A+ |
Moderate Luster; Medium Nacre of 70% Inclusion Free Surface; Good/Moderate Matching.
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A |
Moderate/Low Luster; Moderate to Heavily Blemished Nacre; Moderate Matching.
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Commercial/Beading Quality |
Low Luster; Heavily Blemished Nacre; Heavy Inclusions; Moderate/Poor Matching.
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Note: Even the highest quality organically cultivated pearls show signs of nature and are never 100% free of minor blemishes.
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