Most women prefer using gold belly button rings and body jewelry since gold is a symbol of beauty and abundance since ancient times. However, there are specific things to know before choosing gold body jewelry.

The most important factor in choosing any gold body jewelry is knowing if your jewelry is really gold. There are a few key elements to watch for which will pay off for you in the long run.

With body jewelry, you should look for 18 karat gold. The reason 18 karat is recommended for new piercings is there’s a higher chance the jewelry will be accepted by the body. When body jewelry isn’t true gold or the karat level advertised, allergies may result and you’ll need to remove the body jewelry.

Usually this occurs because the gold used for body jewelry is an alloy that contains other metals in addition to gold. Often, gold body jewelry is only plated with gold; such jewelry should never be used in piercings even if the piercing is healed.

Gold plated body jewelry exposes you to a high risk for allergic reaction, because the gold plating will wear away. Most gold plated body jewelry contains nickel, a common element for body jewelry. Most white gold belly button rings contain nickel, and it’s important to find out how much. Very inexpensive body jewelry almost always contains a high percentage of nickel.

It’s important to check what other metals are present in your gold body jewelry. The lower the karat level in your body jewelry, the higher the content of metals like copper, zinc, and nickel. In fact, other metals are almost always used to formulate body jewelry because gold itself is so soft and needs other metals to form jewelry.

The very best choice for gold body jewelry is 18 karat gold. Primarily, body jewelry is available in 14 karat. 14K gold is less expensive but the downside is you’ll have a higher chance for body jewelry allergic reaction.

Here are a few tips for buying gold body jewelry:

1. Look for gold body jewelry sellers who adhere to a strict quality assurance program, and are willing to tell potential buyers what it means.

2. If your jewelry has a trademark, for example a sports team, it must have a license stamped on the back. If it doesn’t, there are serious quality issues. Stay away.

3. Test your body jewelry at an independent lab if you have any questions about the gold content. Typically these tests are about $20.

4. Closely examine the body jewelry’s quality. Look at your body jewelry with a jeweler’s scope. If edges are frayed or there are imperfections, there are quality and manufacturing issues.

Finally, make sure you understand gold terminology. 24 karat gold body jewelry is pure gold, and the highest quality. Other karat content are less than pure gold. 10k gold is less than 50% gold and is the lowest karat content that can legally be labeled as gold.