Understanding karats

Karats, carats, carrots…!? Really, it’s no wonder so many get confused! When shopping for jewelry, there are so many terms that crop up again and again. Have you ever wondered what it actually means when people say “18k gold”? Karats of gold is a concept that is incredibly helpful to know, so let us break it down for you.

The purity of gold is measured through Karats (denoted as k, kt). Also spelled Carats, it shouldn’t be confused with the carats used to measure the weight of diamonds and other gemstones.

In the karat system, pure gold is equivalent to 24k gold. It represents 99.99% pure gold and is the highest level of purity possible. It is used for gold bars, coins, electronics and medical devices. One may be surprised to hear that pure gold is not the best choice of gold for jewelry purposes. It is considered too soft and impractical for everyday wear as it can be bent, scratched or damaged easily.  

Jewelers, therefore, mix pure gold with other metals (a method called alloying) to increase the strength, durability and workability of the gold.

The most common gold alloys for jewelry are 14k and 18k.

To determine the purity, divide the karats by 24 and the result is the percentage of pure gold in the jewelry.

For example,

9k gold jewellery = 9/24 = 37.5% pure gold

10k gold jewellery = 10/24 = 41.7% pure gold

14k gold jewellery = 14/24 = 58.3% pure gold

18k gold jewellery = 18/24 = 75.0% pure gold

22k gold jewellery = 22/24 = 91.7% pure gold

Jewelry can also be stamped with a number signifying the percentage of gold. For example, 14k gold jewelry is stamped with 583 (58.3% gold), 18k gold jewelry is stamped with 750 (75.0% gold) and 22k gold jewelry is stamped with 917 (91.7% gold).

The higher the karat of gold, the greater the percentage of pure gold and thus the higher the price of the jewelry. The lower the karat of gold, the higher the durability and the lighter the hue of yellow. The higher the karat of gold, the lower the likelihood of tarnishing (as pure gold does not tarnish, but other metals do).

Jewelry that is less than 10k gold is not considered fine jewelry. It cannot legally be sold as gold jewelry in the United States. However, in the United Kingdom, 9k jewelry is quite common. 14k gold jewelry is the most prevalent in the United States, and 18k gold jewelry is the most prevalent in Europe and Asia.

Interestingly, gold can be made in different colors because of the process of alloying. For example, to make white gold, pure gold is mixed with white metals like platinum, palladium and silver. To make pink gold – commonly known as rose gold, pure gold is mixed with copper. The purity of white gold and rose gold is also measured in karats.

Historically, yellow gold was favored until the 1990s when white gold became very popular for bridal jewelry. Recently, however, traditional yellow gold has been making a comeback again. Of course, it’s entirely a personal preference when it comes to both the color and karats of gold. That’s why we’re pleased to be able to offer you so many options to choose from!