KEE Gold - Gold Grading
Gold Karat and Alloys
Because gold can come in so many forms, there is a grading system designed to alert the goldsmith and the buyer how valuable the item is, and what it is made of. Because pure gold is extremely soft, other metals are mixed with the gold to make the piece more durable, less expensive, and to alter it's color.
| 24K | 100% pure gold. No other metal has been mixed. |
| 18K | 75% pure gold. Contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of one or more additional metals. |
| 14K | 58.3% pure gold. Contains 14 parts gold and 10 parts of one or more additional metals. |
| 12K | 50% gold. Contains 12 parts gold and 12 parts of one or more additional metals. |
| 10K | 41.7% gold. Contains 10 parts gold and 14 parts of one or additional metals. Minimum karat that can be called "gold" in the United States. |
When metals are added to the gold the result is an alloy, a blended mixture of metals that will read somewhat differently on the meter scale. This does not mean that a 14k mixed with nickel is worth more or less than 14k mixed with copper. It simply means they will read differently by a small margin. They will both contain the same amount of gold, "58.3%".
It is also possible that a 14k piece reading at the low end of the 14k scale will read very close to or the same as a 10k piece reading at the high end of the 10k scale. This is because the alloy in the 14k reads more resistance than the alloy in the 10k. this is rare but possible.