You know that your precious metals are 14k gold, or 10k gold, or one of the other popular karat weight. But what does it mean? You might have heard that 10k gold is stronger than 14k gold, or you might have noticed that 18k gold is more expensive than 14k gold. The simple answer is that it all has to do with the amount, percentage to be precise, of pure gold content alloyed into your jewelry. We’ll show you how to calculate using a gold price calculator the pure gold content in any karat weight and get an educated decision when it comes to buying or selling your precious metals!
WHAT IS KARAT WEIGHT?
Karat is the measurement of gold fineness. It is expressed as parts of pure gold alloyed into a piece of jewelry per 24 parts of gold alloy and indicates how much gold is present in a piece, even if it is more than 1% alloys.
24k gold is 100% pure gold, meaning it has 24 parts of gold to none other material. 16-karat gold is a purer form of gold than most jewelry worn by the public, which contains an average of 90 parts of silver.
WHAT IS AN ALLOY?
Gold has a bright, beautiful color, but it is also very soft and can quickly tarnish. This makes it difficult to use as jewelry. One of the most widely used alloys in jewelry today is 14k gold plated sterling silver – a combination of two soft metals that are harder than an untreated piece of gold, but which tarnish when oxidized. Sterling silver plating makes your jewelry look more expensive and less likely to tarnish.
WHY IS GOLD ALLOYED?
Gold doesn’t usually exist as a metal – it’s always alloyed or mixed with other metals. Because pure gold is too soft or fragile, it’s actually quite easy to scratch, dent or damage. In order for it to be durable enough for jewelry, the metal must be alloyed with other metals that are stronger but cheaper and less expensive for our company to produce. Gold comes in many different alloys – some more soft than others. For example, 10k is a more dense alloy of pure gold compared to 18k or 22k which is also an alloy.
WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO CALCULATE GOLD PERCENTAGE
You can start with knowing the gold content in a piece to help you eliminate some outside influencing factors and break down the price to its simplest form: the gold. When purchasing or selling gold it’s very important to know exactly why something is priced the way that it is. Educated purchases and decisions are important, in all facets of life, but especially when it comes to spending your hard earned money.
Karat is the standard weight of a diamond. When you’re shopping for jewelry, it’s easy to go by the karat (K) value, with 10 being the highest and .47 the lowest quality. However, this method doesn’t tell us anything about how hard or soft a diamond is, or if it’s even worth buying as an investment piece.