While rising costs of labor in China have created challenges for the manufacturing sector, this has led to greater domestic consumption of luxury products, including jewelry. The highest growth potential lies in the inland urban centers, as Chinese citizens continue a massive migration from rural areas to the cities.
Minted in 22-karat gold  Using the durable gold standard established for gold circulating coinage more than 300 years ago, each Gold Eagle coin is minted in 91.67% fine gold alloyed with a small amount of silver and copper added to harden and protect it against damage. Pure, 24-karat gold is actually quite soft. Adding alloy to pure gold makes it many times more durable than gold itself. Each Gold Eagle coin contains its specified weight (one-ounce, half-ounce, quarter-ounce, or tenth-ounce) in pure 24-karat gold. The alloy weight is extra. A one-ounce American Gold Eagle, for example, actually weighs 1.0909 troy ounces.
A gold alloy that is 50% gold and 50% other metals is 12 karat gold because it is only half pure gold. Alloys used in jewelry making range from 9 karat gold, which is approximately 37% gold, to 24 karat gold, and are required to be stamped and hallmarked according to purity.y mixing gold with other metals, or alloying it, gold is made stronger, which makes it durable enough to wear more often without experiencing wear. A variety of metals are commonly used to alloy gold, including silver, copper, nickel, iron, zinc, tin, manganese, cadmium, and titanium.