10 Stunning Gold Gifts for Girls and Women, Because if You're Looking for an Expensive Gift, There's Nothing Quite Like it (2019)

The scientific definition of gold would entail that it is a chemical substance that occurs naturally. To be more detailed, it has an atomic number of 79, is a soft, malleable and ductile material that has a slight reddish-yellow colour. But historically and culturally, gold is more than a natural element found on planet earth.

People throughout the world and across eras have been struck by the radiance and beauty of this material. Some cultures have equated gold to the sun for its bright yellow colour. Since the birth of civilisations, gold has been used as a symbol of royalty, wealth and status in the society. It is also treated as a valuable resource in terms of investment and wealth generation as your monetary wealth could be converted into gold and stored to be expended during emergencies or if you fancy. You could also get financial assistance against the security of gold ornaments or other objects made of gold.

Besides such commercial endeavours, gold is also valuable in the aesthetic field because of its beauty. Gold ornaments are perfect embellishments of ourselves and are highly suitable with Indian ethnic wear. A gold necklace, a gold earring, a gold nose pin, and so on accentuates the grace of the saree or the traditional elegance of other Indian ethnic attires.

In fact, the influence of gold is also felt in our languages. The words “gold” and “golden” are used to mean something positive or radiant or prosperous. Examples, “golden age”, “heart of gold”, “old is gold”, and so on.

Gold, being a metal, is measured in grams but the purity of the metal is measured in Karats. The value of gold is not in its weight but rather in its purity for nowadays gold undergoes alloying which increases its weight but not the purity of it. Alloying is a process where one metal is mixed with other metals to give the original metal properties that it did not naturally possess. In the case of gold, it is mixed with other metals to give it durability and structural strength as pure gold is a soft metal.

There are 3 common types of gold purity available in the market. They are 18 karats, 22 karats and 24 karats gold alloy respectively. Sometimes, this alloying is done to give different colour to gold so as to give it a new look for aesthetic purposes. Example, mixing pure gold with silver or palladium gives a whitish hue to the gold making the popular white gold. Similarly, the pink tint of rose gold comes after pure gold is alloyed with copper. Non-conventional gold colours like blue, purple or black can be obtained by plating gold with the oxides of other metal. Like black gold is obtained after pure gold is plated with cobalt oxide.

18 karat gold means a gold item that is made with 75 percent pure gold and 25 percent other material. The most common materials used to make an 18 karat gold alloy are copper or silver. 18 karat gold items have many pros. As opposed to gold jewellery of higher karats, 18 karat gold items are durable and do not get scratched or dented easily. The 75:25 ratio ensures that there is enough gold in the item to emanate the bright yellow colour of the substance and at the same time give off a hue of a preferred colour brought about by the elements that make up 25 percent of the alloy.

For instance, if you want a gold ornament that gives off a slight pinkish tint or a tint of any other colour along with the natural bright yellow of the gold, then an 18 karat gold alloy is your best choice. The respective oxides in the 25 percent will ensure an optimum amount of colour without overshadowing the natural hue of the gold metal. You should get the 18 karat gold alloy when you want a reasonable amount of gold in your ornaments but do not want it to be overly soft. It is the best option for people who want gold items at a budget but doesn’t want to compromise on purity and durability.

22 karat gold means almost 92 percent of the gold alloy is pure gold. It is a gold alloy that is mostly used for making jewellery. Due to the high percentage of gold in the alloy, it has a pale yellow colour but that can be brightened by amalgamating the right elements in the rest 8 percent.

The high percentage of gold also makes it more malleable thus appropriate for engraving designs on it. It can be given any desired shape or form and hence this karatage is the preferred one for the jewellers. However, 22 karat gold is not perfect for studded jewellery. It is great for plain gold jewellery but is not strong enough to embed diamonds or rubies in it. The best gold alloy for embedded jewellery is 18 karat.

24 karat gold is the purest form of gold that is available commercially. It is 99.9 percent pure gold and has a characteristic bright yellow colour. It is highly malleable and regular forms of jewellery cannot be made with it. 24 karat gold is used in coins, bars, medicines and electronic gadgets. People usually convert monetary wealth into bars or coins of gold of equivalent value. This is a much smarter way of storing wealth as the value of money is prone to frequent rise and fall.

Gold is a good conductor of electricity and so it is used in electrical gadgets. Gold is an important element in our biology and is essential for the maintenance of our health. Hence small dosage of it is found in medications.

Indians and gold ornaments are a match made in heaven. The universally popular “Big fat Indian wedding” is incomplete without gold jewellery adorning both the bride and women guests. It would not be an exaggeration to say that without gold there cannot be an Indian wedding. This is because gold has a status of its own in India.

A person’s position is determined by the amount of gold he/she possesses. It is an indication of material wealth, prosperity and consequently high social status. Gold becomes even more relevant in India when it comes to women and marriages as traditionally this metal has acted as security for women in this patriarchal Indian society.

Times have changed now and with it, the laws and outlook of the society but this importance of gold in a woman’s life originated at a time when women had no importance or relevance whatsoever in the community. Her value was adjudged by the relationships she had with the men around her, relationships like daughter, mother, sister and wife. Outside the relationships that bound her to a man, she was useless and dispensable. Thus those times were mortal for women who did not have a father, brother, husband or son to get attached to. This is where a box of gold ornaments became a saviour for women. Gold was always valuable in the society and whoever possessed it became valuable as a result. No society was ready to dispense of a woman who was the owner of gold, even if she was devoid of the various relationships with men. It is a sad reflection that the only object that stood between a woman and expendability was an inanimate, yellow substance.

Coming back to the present and comparatively more just times, gold items are great gifts to be given to a woman no matter the occasion. There are many items of gold that qualify as an appropriate gift for a girl. Follow this BP Guide to choose the right one.

A ring is one of the most beautiful ornaments to adorn our body. Besides being an object of embellishment, it is a symbol of love and commitment. Women love to adorn their fingers with rings. It prevents the fingers from looking dull beside a wrist adorned by a beautiful bangle. And if the ring in question is this particular one then there is no doubt that she is going to love it.

This gold ring is handcrafted and the design is an amalgamation of filigree art and chiilai karigari. It sports a gorgeous and elegant design that is reminiscent of an ancient Indian king’s crown. The metal used is yellow gold of a purity of 22 karats. This ring is the perfect piece in an ensemble of gracious traditional attire and jewellery. You can get it from Senco and it costs Rs.13,195.

Gold chains are a favourite of many women because of their ability to elevate any attire. Even a simple and casual attire like jeans and a t-shirt can be complemented by a bright gold chain resting delicately around the neck. No wonder it is go-to jewellery for women for a quick dress-up. This particular gold chain is highly versatile. It has a knotted design. It is made with yellow gold metal and has a metal purity of 22 karats. The design makes the gold chain an everyday wear and complementary to Western attires, but it can also be worn on special occasions if the clothes worn on that occasion are loud. This chain is available on PCJ and it costs Rs. 41,283.

Women adorn their wrists either with a watch or a bracelet and it doesn't take much to understand which adornment they prefer. One can argue that bangles too are worn on the wrist but the cultural symbol of bangles in our society most often make women wear it out of obligation than a choice. But bracelets, especially this one, are worn only when a girl loves the design and decides to wear it. This bracelet has a simple entwining design and has the appropriate proportion of both gloss and matte to render it a classy everyday ornament. It is made with 22 karats yellow gold and of a diameter of 7 inches. It is available on Caratlane and It will cost Rs. 42,401.

Earrings are present by default in a girl's ears. It might change in shape, size and design pertaining to the occasion but they are always present. So there is no question whether gold earrings are a good gift for girls. They are not good gifts, they are in fact great gifts. Consider this pair of earrings. This is a unique pair. They look like sewing needle attached to a thread hence the name “sui dhaga”. Each earring is made with 18 karat gold and encrusted with diamonds. The design showcases little flowers dangling in a line. The dimension of this ornament is 70 mm x 6 mm. It is available on bluestone.com and costs of Rs. 34,482.

Nose screws are a fairly common ornament worn by women. It goes with both Western and Indian traditional clothes. The traditional nose adornment is a simple or an elaborate nose ring, but a nose pin is more modern and inclusive in terms of the attires it goes with. It would be a hard task to suit a nose ring to a modern attire but that problem does not arise in case of a nose screw or pin. Take for example this particular nose screw. It has a star-shaped gold base with a diamond-encrusted in it. The gold is of 18 karats and the number of diamonds used in the design amounts to one piece. It will go with both ethnic and Western clothing. It is available on bluestone.com and costs Rs. 4,881.

Bangles are ubiquitous in India and serve both as a symbol for the status of women as well as an adornment. The status symbol associated with bangles make women extra careful in choosing the right one. Also, when we speak of a woman's wealth in gold, it is most often a necklace and a pair of gold bangles. This bangle is a 22-karats piece of jewellery made with yellow gold. It has an intricate design that goes well with traditional sarees. It costs Rs.1,53,000 and available on PCJ.

This is an anklet of simple design. It is made from 22 karats yellow gold and has a diameter of 10 inches. The pattern is charming and classic and is apt to be worn in weddings. The simple yet elegant design of the anklet would go well with the bright and glamourous clothing usually worn in Indian weddings. It costs Rs. 70,816 and it is available on Malabar gold and diamonds.

A neckwear and earring set is a must for any girl who likes to embellish herself in jewellery. It is a default of jewellery adornment and is worn both in parties and daily occasions. This neckwear and earring set consists of a necklace and earrings made from 18 karat gold. It is an ensemble that renders both sophistication and glamour to your attire. The jewellery is adorned with geometric patterns; a unique but stylish design. It can be worn with both traditional and western costumes thus it is versatile. The entire set costs Rs. 28,736 on Caratlane.

Toe rings are a traditional symbol of marriage in many Indian cultures. In Hindu marriages, the groom puts a toe ring in the second finger of one or both the feet of the bride. Besides being a symbol of holy matrimony, it is also an ornament of embellishment. This toe ring is made from 22 karats yellow gold and has a plain, broad design. It is a traditional type toe ring that is meant for party wear or in a wedding. It costs Rs. 27,239 and it is available on Malabar gold and diamonds.

A gold coin is a good item to give as a gift to someone elderly or perhaps a woman you are not very close to. Though it is uncommon, a gold coin can also be dangled from a bracelet as an added adornment or used as a pendant so in some cases you can gift it to someone special. This particular gold coin can be used for such purposes as it has a beautiful rose engraved on one side. This gold coin is made from 24 karat gold and weighs 8 grams. It comes in a beautiful maroon gift box. It is available on Flipkart and costs Rs. 34,950.