What is the differences between 24k, 14k, 18k and 10k? What is the difference between yellow, white, & rose gold? Find out here!!

  GOLD FACTS

Pure (100%) gold is too soft, and is usually mixed with other metal alloys (silver, copper, nickel and zinc) to make it stronger and more durable for jewelry.

What is a karat?
The karat indicates the amount of pure gold in the metal. The higher the karat, the higher the percentage of pure gold in the metal.

Is 10Kt harder than 14Kt or 18Kt?
24Kt gold is pure but too soft to use, so it is mixed with other metals to strengthen it. 18Kt is 75% pure. It is the European standard. 14Kt is the most popular choice in the U.S.; however, 10Kt is an affordable, beautiful alternative. White gold is the quality of 10Kt or 14Kt mixed with different metals to make it silver-colored.

Why is 18k gold more valuable than 14k gold?
18k gold contains a higher (75%) percentage of pure gold than 14k gold (58.3%).

What kind of markings can be found on gold jewelry?
You should see a marking such as '14k' or '18k' to indicate the karat, and you may sometimes also see the manufacturers registered trademark or the country of origin. Sometimes if the item was custom made or it was resized the markings could be missing.

What is the difference between yellow, white, & rose gold?
Pure gold (which is always yellow) is too soft for making jewelry. The metal alloys that are mixed with pure gold for strength can also modify the resulting color to produce different shades of yellow, white, and pink gold. White gold was originally developed to imitate platinum, and usually contains 25% nickel and zinc.

Weight - gold is sold by weight - grams(gr) or pennyweights(pwt), the heavier the piece, the higher the gold content, therefore it is more expensive.

Design - designer jewelry is more expensive, especially if it is a one of a kind piece.

Finish - special finishes to the metal such as matte, or sand-blasted finish add to the cost of the gold jewelry piece.

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