Understanding the Karat Value of Gold

When I buy gold from people, one of the most frequently-asked questions is:  “What is the difference between 24-karat and 14-karat gold?”

As I mentioned in my post What is the Difference between a Karat and a Carat? , a karat measures the purity of gold based on a scale of 1-24, with 24 karats being the purest. 

What this means is that 24-karat (24K) gold has 99.9% purity, generally referred to as “pure” gold. 

18-karat (18K) gold has 75% pure gold.  Its content is 18 parts gold and six parts other metal alloys.

14-karat (14K) gold has 58.3% pure gold.  Its content is 14 parts gold and ten parts other metal alloys.

10-karat (10K) gold has only 41.7% pure gold in it and is the lowest purity that is still considered gold.  Its content is 10 parts gold and 14 parts other metal alloys.

You can figure out these percentages of purity by dividing the number of karats by 24; for example, 14 divided by 24 equals 0.583 or 58.3%.   

 

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What is the Difference between a Karat and a Carat?

I buy gold and jewelry from a lot of people every day, and a common question that I’m asked is, “What is the difference between a Karat and a Carat?”  It can be a little confusing, especially since they are both pronounced “carrot”!

Well there IS a difference between “karat” and “carat” … usually.  Let me clarify.

 

Karat

A karat measures the purity of gold based on a scale of 1-24, with 24 karats being the purest.  And actually, below 10 karats isn’t even considered gold.  In jewelry, you will often find the karat weight stamped on a clasp or inside a ring.  It is frequently abbreviated as 18K.

Gold is a very soft metal, so it is fortified with alloys (a harder metal, such as copper, zinc, or nickel) to make it stronger.  24-karat gold has the least percentage of alloys, whereas 12-karat gold is only 50% pure, for example.

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