14k...18k...What Does That Mean?

When people are shopping for jewelry, one of the first things that is discussed is the gold karat number. 24 karat is pure gold, so what does 14 karat or 18 karat mean? 24 karat pure gold is very soft, too soft, in most cases, to be worn as jewelry. India and the Middle East are known for making jewelry in 22 karat gold, but you will rarely find 22 karat in the U.S. Pure 24 karat gold is mixed with other metals like silver and copper to make it stronger and longer lasting as jewelry. 14 karat gold is 58.5% gold, and typically in European jewelry it is referred to as 585 gold. 18 karat gold is 75% gold, and in European jewelry is often called 750 gold.

Jewelry gold is an alloy of gold, silver and copper. White gold is a mix of gold, nickel and zinc. Although nickel and zinc make the gold whiter, to make it bright white, it is typically plated in rhodium, which is in the Platinum family.

So what does “karat” mean? Karat with a “k” is a unit of purity of gold. Each karat is 1/24th of the whole. So, 18 karat gold is 18 out of 24 units of pure gold, or as said earlier, 75% pure. You will also hear the word “carat” when talking about diamonds or gemstones. Carat with a “c” is a unit of weight.

Many people have an allergy to silver. Often, those people have to choose gold jewelry to avoid a reaction. They typically seek out the higher karat golds to avoid the concentration of silver. Many people also have an allergy to nickel. Typically, the rhodium plating of white gold can protect people from the nickel present in white gold.

Come see the fine examples we have of 14 karat and 18 karat gold jewelry that Ginger has so expertly picked out, and now you will know what it means when we say the ring you just fell in love with was created in “18 karat gold!”