We always possess an opinion in mind when it comes to gold, that the higher the karat value, the purer the gold. It is true, but what the karat means exactly? The karat means the percentage of gold found within a piece of jewelry, which affects the longevity and appearance of the jewelry itself. Once you are ready to purchase gold, considerations to balance those two key factors must be made. For most of investors, gold is more than an investment, but an accessory or an insurance to be more accurate. It means gold is always be hidden up on the ceilings and down under the floor, and will only be taken out when bad things occur.
Distinctive Varieties of Gold
When you go to a jewelry shop, you will always come cross 10k, 14k, 18k, even 24k. And 24k is pure gold, 18k 75% pure gold, 14k 58.5% pure gold, and 10k 14.6% pure gold. However, to delimit what karat gold is the best depends on what you are planning to use it for. Now let’s see more about those 4.
24k—Best “Issuance” to Restore
Now let’s start with the 24k gold, the purest gold(to be more accurate, it is 99.99% to 100%) in the world, which is sometimes referred to as 24 karat or 24k. Someone regard it as the best gold. It is a highly prized metal and free of other contaminants. Although 24k gold doesn’t tarnish or deteriorate, it is still incredibly malleable and soft. As a result, it is unsuitable for usage in many jewelry applications, but always be applied to wires making. Here comes its shortcoming for good. Anyway, you will definitely don’t want to see such an expensive gold jewelry deform or severely scratched just after wearing it only a couple of times. But is there anyone or anywhere existed 24k gold?
YES! Some traditional Chinese families would hold and collect gold jewelries and use them at some weddings. And some investors are storing 24k gold as their lat retreat for it high value possessed. But in most of jewelries? NO.
18k & 14k—Best Gold Option for Necklace
Just as what mentioned above, 24k is not a good option for jewelry making. For it is soft and orange hued. Most customers will not fond of it. Nor to mention the price of it, which cannot be afforded by most of jewelry fans. However, some ways are there to save the day. The solution to making long lasting gold jewelry is to alloy it with other metals like silver, zinc, nickel, copper so as to increase hardness and to change its color. Here comes 14k and 18k.
Widely used in jewelry making, they are most steady and beautiful in color, while most of the value is restored within.
10k—the “Cheapest” Gold
10 karat (10k or 10kt) gold consists of 41.7% gold and 58.3% alloy in it. Because of the higher composition of alloys, 10k yellow gold jewelry is more prone to be tarnished compared to other higher karat grades. This is one of the very reasons why jewelers with stricter quality standards won’t use 10 karat gold or lower grades. Therefore, if you are seeking a jewelry to wear, 10k gold might not be the good option for it might cause skin irritation. However, it is much more cheaper for less gold contained.
