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Gold Guide

There are two very important issues that must be considered when purchasing a piece of jewelry made from gold.

One Needs To Consider:

Carat (commonly abbreviated kt to k) is one of the most important things to consider when choosing that special piece of gold jewelry. It refers to the percentage of gold that has been mixed with the metal (the type of metal used is determined by the desired color of the gold).

Gold purity and value

Carat measures the proportion of pure gold mixed with another metal alloy, this means that if the gold purity is higher, the value therefore is too.

For example, an 18kt piece of gold jewelry will always be worth more than a 14kt piece of gold jewelry and this does not change, whether you are choosing between white gold, yellow gold or rose gold.

  •  10k gold

    10kt gold denotes 41,7% gold purity. It is the minimum standard used to create gold jewelry in the US, such as durable metal rings and strong necklace chains.
    10kt gold features a 10kt stamp or the numbers 417, somewhere on the jewelry.

  •  14k gold

    This carat of gold denotes 58.5% purity, immediately increasing its value and making it a popular choice for those looking for a longer lasting piece of jewelry.
    Look for 14kt to be stamped on the gold or the numbers 585.

  •  18k gold

    18kt gold denotes 75.0% purity and is used mainly for fine jewelry. Look out for the numbers 750 or the 18kt stamp.

  •  22k gold

    22kt gold features 91.7% gold purity, making it an expensive metal and very soft. Therefore, it is mainly used for plain gold jewelry.
    The numbers 917 and stamp 22kt indicate the purity of this gold.

  •  24k gold

    This is the highest carat gold, denoting 100% gold purity. It cannot be used for jewelry because it is too soft to work with.

The color options for the gold do vary. The most popular gold color is White Gold, followed by Yellow Gold. The difference in color between Yellow Gold and White Gold is determined by the metals used in the alloy mix.

  •  Yellow Gold

    Yellow Gold is made by mixing pure gold with alloy metals such as copper and zinc.

  •  White Gold

    White Gold is made by mixing pure gold with some white metals such as silver and palladium.
    White Gold is essentially Yellow Gold that has been mixed with other metal to whiten it, but it does not become completely white, it remains off white or cream white. It is often plated with rhodium, which in time wears off so regular re-plating is often required to maintain its whiteness.

  •  Rose Gold

    Rose Gold is made by mixing pure gold with copper.

  •  Combination colors

    Jewelry can also be made using a combination of different gold colors. These jewelry items are sometimes called two-tone or multi-colored gold


Get In Touch

If you'd like to find out more about which gold we recommend for different types of jewelry, please get in touch with our Customer Care Team, on 888-888-3959 888-888-3959 or enter into a Live Chat

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