Most of us have experienced that when you look at a piece of jewelry or a jewelry finding, karat is most often used as an indicator of the quality of the jewelry.

Most of us also know that the higher the karat, the higher the price. But what exactly is karat, and what does that number actually mean when used to describe jewelry materials and jewelry today?

You can become wiser on this here. Here is our guide to karat and what it actually means.

Karat is a measurement of the fineness of gold. The fineness of a piece of gold is represented by the total weight of fine metal that the jewelry finding contains. This means the total weight of the gold in the jewelry finding, including the alloyed metal and any impurities.

Carat is not the same as karat
Karat is often confused with carat. You know carat from diamonds, and it is a term used to describe the quality of a gemstone. Here, gemstones are measured in carat per 200mg. In other words, for every 200mg of diamond, the carat of the gemstone increases, for example.

Gold, on the other hand. It is measured in karat and measured in fractions of 24 parts. This means that the next time you're holding a piece of jewelry of 24 karat, or a jewelry finding coated with 24 karat gold plating, you know that this jewelry's coating consists of 100% pure gold. Conversely, if you're holding a coating or a piece of jewelry of 12 karat, you also know that the purity of the gold is 50%. In other words, the jewelry finding is 50% gold and 50% other metals such as zinc, copper, etc.

Why is 18 karat used instead of 24 karat?
Despite the fact that 24 karat gold is more valuable, it is rarely used in jewelry. This is because pure gold is soft in the metal, and tends to bend/change shape due to the lack of strength and resistance in its metal.

You may have come across some stamps on your jewelry or jewelry materials and wondered what they actually mean?

And here we don't mean the common stamps like 9k, 10k, 14k, 18k, and 24k. No, we mean those odd whole numbers like 585 and 750, which can be found on some of your gold jewelry findings.

To explain it best and give you an idea of what these funny stamps are, let's bring in another well-known metal. Sterling silver. There you probably know the stamp 925, which is usually found somewhere on the jewelry finding. 925 means that your sterling silver jewelry finding consists of 92.5 percent pure silver, and is thus your assurance that you are dealing with a fine metal.

The same applies to the gold jewelry and jewelry findings we mentioned. When a jewelry finding is stamped with, for example, 750, you know that your jewelry or jewelry finding consists of 75% pure gold. This corresponds to 18 karat. For further clarification, let's take a stamp like 500. It is your assurance that 50% of the jewelry finding consists of gold.

Above, I have made a table overview of the different karats. You can use this as a reference the next time you need to be knowledgeable about karat and what the different stamps and terms mean.

Other gold stamps
There are also other stamps out there, by the way. You may have come across a stamp like GE, which means "Gold Electroplated". This stamp means that the base of your piece of jewelry is made of one metal, typically brass, which has subsequently been gold-plated.

In addition, there are some other stamps such as GF and HGE, which indicate that your jewelry finding has a base of a metal such as brass, for example, which has subsequently been gold-plated.

There are several different ways in which you can find out whether your gold jewelry is actually genuine gold. Today, gold jewelry is stamped either with a karat mark such as 18k, or a number such as 585 or 750.

Now that the nerdy details are on the table, let's talk about which karat you should choose and what advantages one karat has over another.

24 karat gold
24 karat gold jewelry isn't seen as often as some of the other karat types. The same applies to 24 karat gold platings, and this is because gold in itself is an incredibly soft material, which is easy to bend and scratch.

In addition, the color of 24k gold tends towards a more yellow-orange hue and appears very light. You may have come across a 24 karat piece of jewelry yourself and thought that the gold color looked a bit different from what you associate with the color gold.

Finally, 24k gold is also more expensive to buy. This is for the simple reason that if you have a 24 karat jewelry finding compared to a 12 karat jewelry finding, it consists of twice as much gold. This therefore also means that the jewelry finding has typically been twice as expensive to produce.

18 karat gold
18 karat jewelry findings and jewelry are probably the purest gold jewelry or jewelry finding you can get, while still being resistant to the trials of everyday life.

Below we list three factors that describe 18 karat gold.

1. 18 karat gold consists of 75% pure gold and 25% alloyed metal, such as brass.

2. 18 karat gold has the classic rich yellow gold appearance in its color.

3. 18 karat is considered hypoallergenic and the right choice for you if you struggle with sensitive skin and allergies.

All in all, 18 karat gold is a really good choice for you if you're looking for the purest form of gold jewelry findings or jewelry, while also wanting a piece of jewelry that is practical and can be worn on a daily basis.

If, on the other hand, you want a more resistant jewelry finding, then 14 karat might be what you're looking for?

14 karat gold
14 karat, along with 18 karat, is the most commonly used gold plating when it comes to jewelry and jewelry findings. In fact, 80-90% of the world's wedding rings consist of either 14 or 18 karat.

A 14 karat piece of jewelry is easily recognizable. The jewelry or jewelry finding has the rich color of gold that most of us know. The gold color is a touch less saturated and intense in color than an 18 karat gold plating. This is why 14 karat is also the obvious choice for you if you're looking for a jewelry finding that is rich in color.

Below we list five factors that describe 14 karat gold

1. 14 karat consists of 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloyed metal.

2. 14 karat is significantly more resistant to scratches and scuffs than 24 karat.

3. 14 karat is significantly cheaper to purchase.

4. Called the "all-rounder" because of the good durability and quality of the gold plating.

14 karat gold is probably the most widespread gold plating karat there is, and this is no coincidence. With a 14 karat gold plating, you get the most bang for your buck if you factor in durability, quality, and price.

In addition, the karat is still so pure in gold that virtually everyone will be able to wear this type of gold plating without experiencing skin irritation and allergies.

NOTE.
Now that we're moving down the karat scale, it's important to point out that the purity of the gold decreases. This means that people who have hypersensitive skin, or struggle with allergies, may experience, for example, skin irritation.

10 karat gold
10 karat gold is the lowest purity of gold available in a gold plating where the gold can still be described and marketed as gold. So what does that mean?

It means that many countries today do not accept products as genuine gold unless they have a karat of at least 10 karat. However, this doesn't make 10 karat gold plating unpopular. Quite the opposite. Today, many of the world's earrings are plated with or made of 10 karat. The color of a 10 karat gold plating is easily recognizable if you have a sharp eye for gold. The color often appears as a soft and pale shade of gold.

A durable alternative to 14 karat
If you care about your jewelry findings being incredibly resistant to scratches and scuffs, then 10 karat jewelry and jewelry findings are a good choice. The high amount of alloyed metals such as zinc, copper, etc., makes the jewelry finding itself extremely tough against scratches.

Below we list four factors that describe 10 karat gold

1. 10 karat consists of 41.7% gold and 58.3% alloyed metals.

2. 10 karat is extremely tough and resistant to scratches and scuffs

3. 10 karat gold color appears softer and paler in color

4. 10 karat is the cheapest gold plating to purchase among gold platings branded as genuine gold

Thank you for your time, and remember that gold platings behave differently depending on the person. This is probably the most important information you can take away from this blog post. Some people can wear a lower karat without the gold plating looking unattractive, while others need to go higher up the karat scale.