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UNDERSTANDING GOLD FINENESS
Gold has historically been one of the most popular (and most expensive) precious metals on the planet. But you might wonder: What is it about gold? Why is it so popular and so expensive? What is a carat and a karat of gold and what’s the difference? And why you should care anyway?
We are here to give you better understanding about this metal in form of gold jewelry. Let’s get started!
Is Gold expensive?
The short answer is: Very!
Gold itself has always had value and will always hold value. The metal has historically been one of the most popular as well as most expensive precious metals on the planet. It’s undeniable that gold jewelry has been a symbol of wealth and status for thousands of years, and in many different cultures that span the entire Earth. Because of the value of itself and huge demand, gold and gold jewelry is expensive. This is the reason why people may look for sterling silver, gold plated and gold vermeil as affordable alternative options.
Gold Karats
You may come across ‘karats’ when searching for gold jewelry and most of us know that the higher the karat, the more expensive it will be. But what exactly is karat?
A karat is a measurement of the fineness of a piece of gold. The fineness of a piece represents the weight of fine metal that it contains in proportion to the total weight, including alloyed metals and any impurities. With gold, a karat is a fractional measure of purity for gold alloys, measured per 24 parts whole.
Here is guide to understanding karats and their meaning:
| Number of Karats | Fraction of Gold | % of Gold purity | Fineness |
| 9K | 9/24 | 37.5 | 375 |
| 10K | 10/24 | 41.6 | 416 |
| 14K | 14/24 | 58.5 | 585 |
| 18K | 18/24 | 75.0 | 750 |
| 22K | 22/24 | 91.7 | 917 |
| 24K | 24/24 | 99.9 | 999 |
Whilst pure gold, 24k gold is the most valuable, it is rarely used for jewelry pieces because of its softness and malleability, and tendency to scratch and mark. Therefore, it is usually alloyed with base metals for use in jewelry, altering its malleability, color and other properties.
Popular gold karats
As mentioned above, 24 karat gold is the highest possible number in pure gold, but it is often mixed with other metals to create alloys that are more durable and more suitable for everyday wear in jewelry. The more an alloy is mixed with pure gold, and therefore the less gold there is, the lower the number of karats.
Gold is most often mixed with either silver, zinc, copper, or palladium, creating a different number of karats and different colors of gold, such as rose gold or white gold.
Traditional karats used in gold jewelry number from pure gold at 24k, 22k, 18k, 14k, 10k, 9k or even 8k.
At PNJP, as we have been working with many clients from different parts of the world, we receive many requests for different gold karats which are popular and preferred in each country. For example, European clients usually order 8K, 9K and 14K gold which is kind of similar for UK and Australia markets. For the US, the most popular gold karat is 14K.
So, 14K or 9K?
As you already know, any alloy containing 9K gold has only a minor percentage “real” gold (approx. 37%) and for most jewelers is not actually considered “gold” at all. On the other hand, 14K has more real gold (58 – 62%) than it has its alternate metal counterpart and the higher purity comes with a higher price tag.
It’s dependent on how much you are willing to pay to own a gold jewelry piece that leads to your purchase decision between 9K or 14K gold.
Then what if you decide to buy 9K gold, do you worry if the piece will tarnish? The answer is ‘Yes’, 9K gold can tarnish. However, it doesn’t tarnish as obviously as sterling silver can. Wiping with a jewelry polishing cloth will help remove the tarnish and brings back the color. You will likely notice tarnish more on 9K rose gold (due to the higher copper content) and less on white gold.
For those who look for timeless pieces, 14K gold is the best material to go with, 14K gold provides the best combination of a rich color, good durability and reasonable affordability. This type of gold is by far the most popular option for rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings and other fine jewelry, making up about 90% of gold jewelry sales in the United States alone.
Finding your perfect metal may now seem to be as intricate a process! But while there are a lot of factors to consider with your metal choice, the most important is that you love seeing the final result on you. Make your decision with that idea in mind and you can’t go wrong.
How can you tell gold is real or fake?
There are several ways to tell if gold is real. As mentioned above, any genuine gold pieces will be stamped with a hallmark stating the content of pure gold that it contains. The stamp is usually found on the clasp of a necklace or bracelet, or on the inner band of a ring in number or letter format.
Below is hallmark list for common gold fineness:
9K gold: 9K or 375
10K gold: 10K or 416
14K gold: 14K or 585
18K gold: 18K or 750
In addition, a simple test is one that can be performed at home to check if gold is real. Gold is a heavy metal, and therefore, real gold should sink. Drop your gold item into a jug of water. Any piece of supposed gold jewelry that floats is likely to be fake gold.
There is one more solution to be free of worries is to purchase your solid gold jewelry at a reliable store. As a leading jewelry manufacturer in Vietnam, PNJP has gained the trust from our clients in terms of international gold fineness guarantee. For domestic market, with over 30 years in operation, PNJP manufactures and distributes gold and silver jewelry pieces under ‘PNJ’ brand in our chain of over 350 retail stores along Vietnam, we are confident in working only with the top quality raw material especially legally sourced gold.
For those who seek for affordable option with “look-like-gold” items, you may also be interested in Gold plated jewelry. Read this article.
Researched and Compiled by PNJP Export Marketing Team