Difference Between 10K, 14K, 18K, & 24K Gold.
Posted by Mary on
*The purpose of this post is educational and informative* (We sell gold plated jewelry, not solid gold)
The purity of gold is categorized using the karat system. The karat system measures the ratio of pure gold to other alloys in a piece of gold jewelry. The greater the amount of pure gold in a gold ring or other piece of jewelry, the higher the purity level.
The different numbers of karat refer to the levels of pure gold that are included in the mix. Pure gold is 24 karats and most valuable because it is 100% pure gold. Because pure gold is very soft, jewelry makers add other metals to increase durability.
| Karats | Parts of Gold | Purity [%] | Millesimal Fineness |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 24/24 | 99.9 | 999 |
| 22K | 22/24 | 91.7 | 916/917 |
| 18K | 18/24 | 75 | 750 |
| 14K | 14/24 | 58.3 | 583/585 |
| 12K | 12/24 | 50 | 500 |
| 10K | 10/24 | 41.7 | 416/417 |
| 9K | 9/24 | 37.5 | 375 |
24 karat gold is considered pure gold
18 karat gold is made up of 75% gold and 25% alloy. This type of gold is referred to as 18 karat because 18 out of the 24 parts that make up the gold are pure gold.
14 karat gold is made up of 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy. This type of gold is referred to as 14 karat because 14 out of the 24 parts that make up the gold are pure gold.
Yellow Gold = pure gold + silver + copper (classic choice for many types of jewelry)*White Gold = pure gold + white alloy (usually nickel) + Rhodium plating (Rhodium is the world’s most expensive precious metal)*
Rose Gold = pure gold + silver + copper (there are also red and pink variations which contain varying percentages of different metals)*