What is a Jewellery Scale?
Jewellery scales — sometimes known as jewellery weighing scales, goldsmith scales, gold scales, or gold balances — are specifically designed digital scales for weighing jewellery, precious metals, and gemstones. These scales offer highly accurate readabilities essential for measuring very small items like tiny gemstones,powders or rings. When dealing with high-value materials such as precious metals, gemstones and jewellery, the demand for precise measurements is critical. Even minor inaccuracies can lead to significant financial losses. Unlike standard weighing scales, jewellery scales utilise specific units of measurement tailored to jewellery. A&D Weighing offers a range of jewellery scales renowned for their precision and accuracy.
Why It’s Important to Weigh Jewellery
The weight of jewellery plays a crucial role in determining its market value. Broadly speaking, the heavier or larger the piece, the higher its value. The size and precision of gemstone cuts can significantly reflect the craftsmanship, influencing the perceived quality and value of the jewellery. Throughout the jewellery manufacturing process, it is essential to inspect and weigh raw materials to meet specific requirements for the final product. Jewellers weigh diamonds or precious metals to assess the final value of their products and set appropriate prices. Therefore, using accurate analytical scales and balance scales is crucial both during manufacturing and at the point of sale to ensure reliability and compliance with Australian standards.
It is also a legal requirement for all jewellers to use Legal for Trade certified scales and balances when selling products by weight. Australian jewellers must adhere to the standards of the National Measurement Institute (NMI), which oversees the accuracy and reliability of measurements used in trade within Australia. As such, a jeweller should be using a precise scale to ensure that their products are sold at their true market value, and to maintain trust with their customers.
The Different Jewellery Weighing Units
There are various types of jewellery weighing units that are used around the world, including:
• Carat (ct):
Commonly used for gemstones like diamonds, rubies, and quartz, one carat is equal to 0.2 grams or 200 milligrams.
• Grams:
This is the standard unit in most countries for measuring precious metals, jewellery, and gemstones. Grams are straightforward to understand, and regular scales can typically be measured in this unit.
• Karat (k):
Not to be confused with “carat”, which pertains to weight, a karat measures the purity of precious metals such as gold and silver. In jewellery crafting circles, softer precious metals like gold are often alloyed with harder metals to enhance durability. The purity of these metals is expressed in karats, with 24 karats indicating pure gold.
• Tael:
This unit, which originated in China, is equivalent to 37.7994 grams and is primarily used for weighing gold and silver.
• Tola:
Predominantly used in South Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, one tola is approximately 11.7 grams. Some regions have adjusted the weight to 10 grams to simplify conversion to the metric system.
Why Do Jewellery Scales Need to be Trade Approved?
The jewellery industry spans a wide range of valuable products, from rings and bracelets to necklaces and other adornments worn by individuals of various backgrounds and ages. The price of these items often hinges on their weight, making accurate measurement crucial. This underscores the importance of using trade-approved scales within the industry. Trade-approved scales are rigorously tested and certified to ensure they meet strict accuracy standards, which is essential for determining the value of jewellery with precision and maintaining consumer trust.
Key Features to Consider When Choosing the Perfect Jewellery Scale
When choosing the right jewellery scales for you, it’s advised that you factor in the following considerations:
Accuracy & Precision:
Precision is crucial because even slight inaccuracies can significantly impact the value assessment of precious gems. Even the smallest error in measurement can lead to substantial financial discrepancies, which can affect the credibility and subsequent profitability of a jeweller. Precision scales ensure that each transaction is fair for both buyers and sellers, reinforcing trust and compliance with Australian trade standards. Maintaining high standards of accuracy and precision not only protects the interests of consumers but also upholds the jeweller’s reputation in a highly competitive market.
Tare Function:
Approximations and near-guesses are not at all acceptable when determining such precise weights. This is where the tare function on jewellery scales becomes indispensable. The tare function allows the scale to subtract the weight of the container or any other materials so that the display only shows the net weight of the gemstones themselves. By using this feature, jewellers can ensure that they are obtaining exact, unaltered weights, which is critical for both valuation and customer trust.
Unit Conversion:
Make sure your jewellery scales you are considering have unit conversion features to convert the weight into grams, carat and other measurement units.
Display:
The display features of weighing scales show the weight of the object on the display screen. This feature should be clearly visible on jewellery scales to display the weight for both buyers and sellers satisfaction. Ensure that the display light is bright.
Calibration:
A good set of jewellery scales should always include a calibration option to allow for spontaneous calibration checks which is essential in adjusting and maintaining the accuracy.
Sensitivity of the Jewellery:
If there’s a specific type of jewellery that you’re weighing that you know is composed of a delicate metal, it’s important to ensure that you have a scale that will be able to accurately handle the specific metal type.
Weight of the Metal:
Similarly, if you know you’re going to be weighing heavy metals, it’s smart to buy a set of scales equipped to handle that weight, as overloading your scales and balances can cause inaccurate readings.
Flexibility:
Flexibility in scales, especially those used for weighing jewellery, is crucial as it allows for precise measurements in a variety of settings, from retail shops to trade shows. This adaptability ensures that jewellers can consistently provide accurate information on the go, enhancing customer trust and facilitating fair transactions wherever business is conducted.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Jewellery Weighing Scales
When using your jewellery scales, try to avoid making these all-too-common errors:
- Neglecting to calibrate the scale or balance regularly.
- Failing to operate the scale properly, which includes regular cleaning and timely battery replacement.
- Overloading the balance, which can result in inaccurate readings, and the need to recalibrate or buy a new balance.
- Choosing the incorrect measuring unit, a mistake that can also lead to measurement errors.
A selection of Digital Scales by A&D Weighing for Jewellers
HR-250AZ Compact Analytical Balances
The HR-AZ series of compact analytical balances features our advanced A&D sensor technology, ensuring fast and precise measurements for all users. Offering readability from 0.1 milligrams to 10 micrograms, the HR-AZ series is backed by an industry-leading 5-year warranty.
EW-i Series Portable Triple Range Balances
The EW-icompactbalance offers advanced performance at an affordable price, appealing to budget-conscious users. This series has a large back lit LCD display with wide viewing angle and nine selectable weighing units. The EW-i series isapproved for trade by the National Measurement Institute of Australia.
FZ-i Series Precision Balances
The FZ-i series combines all the essential weighing functions in a compact, light-weight package. This range has high-speed weighing with 1 second stabilisation and one-touch automatic internal calibration. This balance also boasts IP65 protection and is approved for trade by the National Measurement Institute of Australia.
GX-A Multi-Functional Precision Balance
A&D’s Smart-Super Hybrid Sensor (SHS) technology is the foundation of the innovative solutions found in the multi-functional GX-A top-loading precision scales. These scales feature rapid weighing and quick settling times. The GX-A series features internal calibration, offers a variety of weighing units as well as counting and statistical calculation capabilities.
Conclusion
A&D Weighing offers a globally trusted selection of Jewellery Scales, Gold Scales, and balances that deliver accurate measurements thanks to their cutting-edge technology and robust construction. Many of our precision balances have NMI approval for legal-for-trade use, making them suitable for transactions involving the buying and selling of gold and other precious commodities. You can browse A&D jewellery scales here, and check out our wide range of other scales over at the A&D home page. A&D weighing instruments are found in factories, warehouses, and laboratories all over Australia. Got an inquiry? You can contact us directly via the A&D contact us page.