In the last few posts, we have talked about Metal allergies and Gold-filled vs Gold-plated jewelry. Today is a good day to talk about Solid gold (aka Karat gold).
So, what exactly is solid gold?
Solid is gold (aka Karat gold) is pure gold mixed with other alloys such as copper and silver. Solid gold jewelry is made to last for a very long time and is suited to those with sensitive skin (see this post for more info on metal allergies). Gold is such a soft metal, therefore it is mixed with alloys to add strength. Due to this, the purity of solid gold can be measured by the amount of alloy-gold combination.
The purity of solid gold is measured in Karats (kt or ct) and in the following ways:
9kt - 37.5% gold purity | lowest in price - hardest gold
10kt - 41.7% gold purity
14kt - 58.5% gold purity
18kt - 75.0% gold purity
22kt - 91.6% gold purity
24kt - 99.9% gold purity | highest price - softest gold
For a jewel to be categorized as solid gold, it requires at least 10 Karat (41.7%) purity (or 9K in some countries).
I hope this post will help you to have more understanding of karat gold, and if you have any questions, feel free to add your comment below.
