Gold Purity: Different Karats of Gold and Their Differences

When you are about to buy gold or even sell gold, you should completely know the level of pure gold your ornament has. You might ask how it makes any difference? Each gold purity has its own price according to the amount of pure gold present in it. Because of that, understanding the amount of gold is always suggestible.

We are the best gold buyers in Bangalore and we want to help you understand how the value of gold can differ with each level of fineness of gold.

Before understanding the different fineness of gold, you should know how to recognise how much pure gold you have. One can identify Gold’s fineness using a unit called karat. Each karat of gold represents the amount of pure gold it comprises. With no further ado, let us learn about the different karats of gold.

Karats of Gold and their Gold Purity Level

There are 8 different karats of gold and you should know the difference between each of them. 

Different Gold Karats and their Gold Purity Levels

10 Karat Gold – 41.7 percent gold; which means only 10 out of 24 parts are gold.

14 Karat Gold – 58.3 percent gold; which means only 14 out of 24 parts are gold.

18 Karat Gold – 75 percent gold; which means only 18 out of 24 parts are gold.

22 Karat Gold – 91.7 percent gold; which means only 22 out of 24 parts are gold.

24 Karat Gold – 99.99 percent gold; which means all 24 parts are gold.

# 10 Karat Gold

A 10 Karat gold is more affordable than any other gold. It contains only 42 percent of gold and the remaining is a mixture of 58 percent of gold. In terms of gold parts, only 10 out of 24 parts are gold. The remaining, as mentioned before, is a mixture of alloys. 

We use this karat of gold in making earrings and any other affordable gold items. Some gold retailers don’t even sell this karat of gold because of the low presence of gold content.

Exquisitely, 10K gold looks pale in appearance because of less presence of gold when compared to other karats of gold. 

The advantage of 10K gold is that it is more affordable and durable when compared to the other karats of gold. 

You might wonder how it can be durable. The answer to it is the content of it. As mentioned earlier, this karat of gold has less gold purity level with a mixture of other alloys, which makes it more durable. 

The disadvantage of it is that it could cause skin irritation to people who are allergic to metals such as copper, silver, nickel, zinc or iron. Skin irritation happens when someone wears it over a long period.

# 14 Karat Gold

When comparing 14K gold to 10K gold, the former has a greater mix of gold purity, durability and a good value for money that is spent. The composition of this gold karat is 58.3 percent of gold and 41.7 percent of alloys. 

It’s made from 14 out of 24 parts of pure gold, whereas the remaining parts are a mixture of other alloys to make this gold durable.

Almost 90 percent of the rings that you see when people exchange in matrimonial ceremonies are 14K gold rings. Just because of its rich colour, this gold karat is most common in rings and other jewellery. 

14K gold is much more affordable than other higher gold karats and hence people with a tight budget will buy it. The major advantage of it compared to 10K gold is that it contains more levels of gold purity. This makes it easier to convert into cash if you think of selling it. 

This gold is preferable if you are concerned about scratches because of working near hard surfaces. Also, you can find this gold karat easier to convert into cash when you sell it to a gold buyer. 

The only disadvantage of this one is that it can cause skin irritations after continuous use. Well, it is a daily wear gold, but people who find their skin irritant to alloys are the only ones prone to skin irritations. 

# 18 Karat Gold

This gold karat is one of the most favourable ones among the ones discussed so far. It is so because of its composition and also it is less likely it would cause skin irritation to anyone at all. 

18 karat gold comprises 75 percent pure gold and 25 percent of alloy. 18 out of 24 parts are gold and the remaining 6 parts out of 24 parts are a mixture of alloys. Because of this 75 percent of pure gold, it has a rich yellow appearance that attracts people to buy this. 

The most helpful thing about 18K gold is that it has a high percent of gold purity and it is acceptable to people who are prone to skin irritations.  

To be honest, 18K gold has many disadvantages as well. Because of its high purity levels, it is more likely to get scratches. If you are working in a work environment that involves bumping your gold against hard surfaces then, this is not the best one for you.

# 22 Karat Gold

You can find 22 karat gold in many households as gold ornaments. The reason behind it is the purity of gold it comprises. The composition of materials that makes it a 22K gold is 91.6 percent of pure gold and the remaining is alloys to make it durable. 

This means that 22K gold ornaments have 22 out of 24 parts of gold and 2 out of 24 parts of alloys mixed with it. As mentioned before, these 2 parts which is the 

The gold purity makes it the most favourable one that many households prefer to purchase if they have a limitless budget. 

The advantage of this gold karat is that you can expect almost the full value of gold when you are thinking of selling gold. This karat of gold is highly acceptable and easy to buy from anywhere in the world. It contains a high level of gold in it, which makes it less irritating on the skin even after long usage. 

The disadvantage of it is its price. It is not affordable if you are on a tight budget to buy gold. It is comparatively less durable and is prone to scratches, which makes it less favourable to wear in workplaces. Gold ornaments with this quantity of pure gold would be best suitable to be worn in gatherings such as weddings, silent parties and sort of gatherings.

# 24 Karat Gold

The purest form of gold is the 24 karat gold, as it comprises only gold. The content in this gold karat is 99.9 percent of gold. This means that it has 24 out of 24 parts of gold.

The advantage of this gold karat is that it is completely gold. Since there is no mixture of any other metals, you can expect the full value of gold. You can find this type of gold karat in gold bars, gold coins, or other non-jewellery items. The colour appearance of gold in its purest form is bright yellow that gives gold the shiny look.

The disadvantage is its purest form itself. Gold, in its purest form, is non-durable and prone to scratches. It is ductile and hence better to be in the shape of gold bars and coins. You will never find 24k gold jewellery.

We suggest buying this form of gold if you are interested in investing money in gold. You can use this by 24K gold at its lowest value and then selling it at the highest value. This way, you can make extra profits from selling gold.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is always important to know about the gold karat you are about to buy or even sell.

Some people like 14K or 18K more than 10K because of its richer yellow tone. In short, 18K gold looks fantastic because it has a higher tone of yellowness compared to 14K gold. 

22K gold is better only for occasional use of gold while the 24K gold is best if you are into investment. Also, you can use your 24K gold into jewelleries as well. You can melt your 24K gold and further mix some percentage of alloys and convert it into jewellery.

Always make sure you know the gold purity in your gold so that you know what exactly it is worth.

You can also read this article about “How to Avoid Getting Cheated When Buying Gold Coins?“