WEDDING RINGS 101 - WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 10K, 14K, 18K AND 24K GOLD?
This article will explain the differences between 10k, 14k, 18k gold as well as explain why wedding rings are typically not made out of 24k gold.
So what is a karat?First of all, a "karat" is not a "carat." Just to clarify, a carat is a unit designed to measure fine gemstones, such as diamonds. It originates from the "carob" bean, which was once used to measure the same. One carat equals 200 milligrams, or .2 grams.
A karat, on the other hand, is a unit of purity. Karats express this purity in terms of a sort of fraction out of 24 total parts. Therefore, 24k gold is 100% pure-24 parts out of 24 total are pure gold.
So if 24 karat gold is 100% gold, why aren't wedding rings typically available and made out of 24k gold? The reason is that 24k gold is much too soft to be used for jewelry-making. So most gold jewelry is combined with some other metal to make it harder and more durable. The most common metals combined with gold are nickel, zinc, silver, copper, palladium and platinum. These composites of gold and another metal (called alloys) are where the different karats come into use. If 24k gold is 24/24 parts gold, then 18k gold is 18 parts gold, and 6 parts of some other metal. 14k gold is 14 parts gold, and 10 parts of some other metal, and so on. To do that math for you:
Because gold is sold by weight, higher purity content will also generally mean more expensive jewelry. 18k gold is the European standard and is very popular in America as well for its rich sheen and deep golden color, as well as its easy workability for jewelers. 14k gold is also a common choice, and 10k is still a very viable and more affordable alternative for a gold wedding ring. Other factors in price include the alloy that is used, as more expensive alloys (such as platinum) will greatly increase the overall cost of the wedding ring. More information about various metals and their properties can be found back at http://www.weddingrings.net/weddingrings101.html.
What else should I keep in mind?Durability: While higher karat does indicate the purity of a gold wedding ring, it is very important to consider the fact that as a soft metal, high-purity gold may not be the best choice for everyone. If you work with your hands frequently, or are often exposed to chemicals or abrasives that could damage high-content gold bands, a lower karat-and lower cost-wedding ring might actually be a better choice for you.
Color: The alloys commonly combined with gold are not only used to improve the hardness and durability of jewelry. Depending on the alloy that is used, gold wedding rings can be made into a variety of interesting and beautiful colors. Some of the most common include:
The basic principle to keep in mind about differences between 10k, 14k, and 18k gold is that higher karat means higher purity-but always remember that pure may not be exactly what you're looking for with gold. Depending on your lifestyle, taste, and budget, lower karat wedding rings may excellent options as well.
24k is pure gold
10 karat is 41.67 % gold 14 karat is 58.33 % gold 18 karat is 75 % gold 24 karat is 100 % gold
Removing all of the impurities in the 10 karat gold will leave you with 24 karat gold.
Karat - The karat (symbol kt) a unit of measure of the amount of pure gold in a metal. One karat represents 1/24th of an alloy's total weight. One hundred percent gold is 24 karats.24-karat gold = .995 to .9999922-karat gold = .91618-karat gold = .75014-karat gold = .58310-karat gold = .4167
24 karat gold is pure gold
Karat (K) is the number of parts, by weight, of gold. The higher the percentage of pure gold, the higher the karat. For e.g., 14 karat gold is 58% gold, 18 karat gold is 75% gold, 22k gold is 91.67% gold and 24k gold is pure.
Is there 24 karat gold
Pure gold is 24 karat gold, so 12 karat gold is 50% pure gold.
14 karat gold is not a pure substance. Pure gold is 24 karat gold. 14 karat gold is made from 58 percent gold mixed with other metals.
21 karat gold is 87.5% pure gold.
Well, 25 percent gold, if it is 24 karat divided by 4, it is 6 karat of pure gold metal.
The karat (carat in Britain) is used for two things. (1) as the weight of a gem such as a diamond. 1 karat is 0.2 gram (gramme). (2) as the purity of gold. 24 karat gold is 100% gold. 18 karat gold is 75% (18/24) gold. [Gold is combined with silver and/ or copper when not 24 karat]
Yes you can make 22 karat gild into 24 karat by melting the 22 karat and then remove the impurity - which would most likely be copper. This means you would have about 91.6% of 24 karat gold and 8.4% copper from the original weight of 22 karat gold