Materials

Most gold comes from mines in South Africa and is measured in carats.

24 - carat is100% pure gold a very soft metal that is easily scratched.
18 - carat gold is 18/24 which is 75% pure gold with 25% other metals added such as silver, copper or mercury.
14 - carat gold is 58% pure 24 carat gold and is stronger and harder wearing than pure gold.

So-called “white gold” is actually yellow gold made white by adding other metals such as silver, nickel and palladium. The so-called “white gold” is usually finished by rhodium plating to give the impeccable appearance of white-coloured gold.

McCourts fine gem set Jewellery is mounted in 14ct and 18ct gold.

Hallmarking

Every item is sent to the Assay Office for purity testing before being stamped to authenticate the gold carat. 18ct gold will be stamped with the number 750.

14ct gold will be stamped 585. The stamp will also contain the Sponsors Hallmark which carries the Sponsors initials, the year and the area where it was tested.

Mccourts are a member of the DJA, (Jewellery Distributors Association) which is a body that provides a wide range of support services to the Industry. By being a member we are informed of any industry issues.

Gemstones

Opal
Opal stones McCourts have a large variety of exciting designs in our opal collection. These include solid boulder opal, boulder doublet opal and premium crystal opal. Opals are most often found in specific areas of inland Queensland, Australia. Boulder opals are formed in cavities within ironstone layers.

The ironstone sometimes gives the opal an uneven surface, which further enhances the stunning array of colours in the opal. Natural doublet opal is a combination of natural opal on a backing of dark natural ironstone boulder opal which contrasts and accentuates the colour of the natural opal.

Solid crytal opal is a type of opal with transparent or translucent qualities that exhibit a distinct and exceptionally bright range, and play of colours. Light crystal opal generally comes from the South Australian opal fields at Coober Pedy and Mintbie, and can easily be identified by a light body tone. The translucent crystal opal is sometimes used in our doublet inlaid opal jewellery, which is backed with gold. Opals are valued by considering the body, shape, cut, brightness, fire colour, fire pattern, and carat weight.

The highest value opals are those with the brightest, richest and more vivid colours. The most common shape for opal is oval; however, they are also cut into pear shape, marquise, triangle, square, rectangle, cushion or freeform shape.

Some gemstones may have imperfections which occur naturally and cannot be avoided. Our service is backed by years of experience together with rigorous quality control and inspection prior to despatch.