1. 9K gold jewelry is 375 parts out of 1000 or 37.5% gold and 62.5% alloy of other metals.
2. 14K gold is 583 parts out of 1000 or 58.3% gold mixed with 41.7% alloy.
Gold does not tarnish. It is the alloy that tarnishes or oxidises. Wear it often! Because if gold jewelry is worn a lot, it will not tarnish because brushing up against the skin keeps the oxidation down.
If one's gold pieces are tarnished, one can buy a soft metal polishing cloth at a hardware store and remove the oxidation. This does not change the amount of gold.
9K gold will not turn green when worn. Only non-gold items will.
Beware of jewelry stamped EP, GP or HGP as these are merely plated with gold over another metal. "Rolled" gold is also plated gold. The gold can wear off, and the under metal can turn your skin green. 9K does not smell any worse than any other metals.
Julie, you will not notice any unusual smells with 9K gold.
