Gold scales are used to precisely measure the weight of the gold in a piece of jewelry. A standard feature of these types of scales is that they can measure in several different units. These include, for example, grams, ounces, troy ounces and pennyweight. Grams (g) and pennyweights (dwt) are most frequently used in weighing gold. Gold and silver are usually weighted in the troy system, wherein one pound troy equals twelve troy ounces and twenty pennyweights equals one troy ounce. A good scale for weighing gold should have a reasonably sized weighing platform to guarantee accurate weighing of larger pieces like necklaces and bracelets.

Jewelry scales are used to measure the weight of precious stones and pearls. Prior to the 1900s, jewels were weighed by several different systems, depending on the country in question. In the United States, the weighing system for jewels was standardized in the early 20th century, when it was determined that a single karat would be equivalent to 200 milligrams. It is important for a jewelry scale to be accurate down to very small gradations of weight, to prevent flawed readings which could lead the jeweler to improperly value the stone or pearl in question.

Another important feature of these kinds of scales is a small footprint. The amount of counter space in a jewelry store is limited at best, and the people working behind the scenes don’t want to have a gigantic piece of equipment taking up space that could be put to better use.

As we move forward into the 21st century, the market for jewelry shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, sales rose sharply in the middle years of this decade. Over ninety percent of women’s jewelry sold in the United States had some kind of precious or semi-precious stone. We can extrapolate from this that the market for jewelry scales will continue to grow as well.