Different gold purities
If you’ve ever gone shopping for jewelry, you are probably familiar with the word “karat” as applied to gold. The higher the karat, the more expensive it will be. But have you ever wondered why? The short answer is that higher karats mean more gold, but there’s more to it than that.
What does it all mean? And what is all of that fine print stamped into your piece of gold? What are karats really? How do you know how pure that gold really is? This article will answer these questions and more.
Here’s more information on karats:
- Karat is a measurement of the ratio of gold to other metals or alloys.
- Karats are measured on a scale from 0 to 24.
- The higher the karat number, the more gold there is and the less other metal content.
- Other metals and alloys could include copper, nickel (not common anymore), silver, or palladium.
With this in mind, 24-karat gold is the purest gold you can buy.
Why Are Other Metals Added to Pure Gold?
Gold is malleable in its pure state. Other metals are added to strengthen it and in some cases to enhance color. An example is “rose gold” comprises gold and copper.