GoldLighters.com

It may be a gift for your spouse, yourself or a friend, but gold lighters come in different karats and designs. Most people buy gold lighters for their appeal and expensive look. Imagine when you take out a 18k gold lighter to help a friend light a cigarette, what will they say? They will be impressed and when you hold your gold lighter you will get an extra boost of confidence. The gold lighter is not a bad gift to have pr give but of course it is expensive.

It is advised to only buy this when a) you smoke b)you can afford it c)you don't live in a dangerous area with high crimes rates. This gift is also more suitable for an anniversary or a friend's wedding. As a birthday gift, this present is too grand as it is gold and heavy. If you are buying this gift for a woman, the design should be more elaborate than plain sheets of gold and it is wise to look for something small and light.

As it is commonly understood, the more karat gold you have the more expensive it is. But what exactly does karat mean? Karat gold is measured out of units of 24. Before we begin explaining the math, one must know that pure gold is very soft, so in order to make jewelry, gold has to be mixed with alloys. With this information, we shall proceed with the breakdown of the numbers.

For example, a 10 karat gold lighter would consist of 10 parts of gold and 14 parts of alloy. So the percentage of gold in 10 karat gold lighter would be less than 50%; 12 karat is 50%; 14 karat is around 58%; 16 karat is about two-thirds gold; 18 karat is around three quarters gold and 24 karat is basically 99.0 – 99.9% pure gold. A hundred percent pure gold is close to impossible to make as jewelry because it is too soft and easily malleable.

It is also notable that the higher the jewelry is in karat rating the less durable it is. For example, a 20 karat ring is more likely to bend and needs refining more often than an 18 karat ring. So choose wisely for your lighter. If you are the careless type, it is wise to buy a 10 karat gold lighter, because it is more durable and less expensive. If you usually take good care of your jewelry then you should buy a 18 karat gold lighter or higher.

It also depends on how long you realistically want the lighter to last. If the gold lighter is just a fashion accessory for you, chances are you want the 10 karat. Even though high karat jewelry needs constant polishing, in the long run, and if you are careful, it can last a lifetime. This is also a reason why the gold lighter is more suitable as an anniversary present.

So how exactly are you guaranteed that you are buying real gold? On all gold jewelry pieces there is a stamp that shows the number of karats. If that stamp is missing, be careful, this piece of jewelry is not properly manufactured. When you bring your piece in for refinement, be sure to make sure the stamp still remains. 

Price ranges for these lighters vary depending on karats, but are usually between $500-$7,000. If one buys a gold lighter for looks and fashion, perhaps one should consider fake gold. Many of them are sold for $30-$50 and they are always stylish in comparison to real gold lighters.