| Gold jewelry comes in several different grades of | | | | markings and the gold content they refer to: |
| purity, from 10 karat to 24. Since you can't tell | | | | 24K or 999 gold is 100% pure. |
| how pure gold is just by looking, you have to rely | | | | 22K or 917 gold is 92% pure. |
| on the markings that are stamped on the piece | | | | 18K or 750 gold is 75% pure. |
| of jewelry. But, exactly what do they mean, and | | | | 14K or 585 gold is 58% pure. |
| which markings should you be looking for? | | | | 10K or 417 gold is 42% pure. |
| First of all, the reason any gold jewelry would be | | | | So, which markings, or karatage, should you look |
| less than 100 percent pure is that gold is soft, so | | | | for when buying gold jewelry? It depends on a |
| other metals are mixed in to strengthen the | | | | few factors: |
| jewelry. In the United States, the purity of gold is | | | | - Your budget- higher percentages of gold will |
| measured in karats, which work just like | | | | make the jewelry more valuable, and lower |
| percentage points- except that there are 24 | | | | percentages make it more affordable. |
| rather than 100. For example, 24 karat is the | | | | - Desired color- if you are looking for white gold |
| same as 100% pure, and 12 karat is the same as | | | | jewelry, this is typically 14 karat gold that has |
| 50% pure. | | | | been mixed with white-colored metals like silver or |
| In Europe, purity is usually measured in parts per | | | | zinc. |
| thousand. These also work like percentage points, | | | | - Metal allergies- if you have a skin allergy to |
| except that there are 1000 rather than 100. For | | | | nickel or another metal that might be mixed with |
| example, 750 parts per thousand (PPT) equals | | | | the jewelry, you should consider 22 or 24 karat |
| 75% pure. | | | | gold. |
| The karatage (number of karats) or PPT of the | | | | - Strength- since 24 karat gold is fairly soft, any |
| gold jewelry is usually stamped somewhere in an | | | | jewelry that requires some strength should be |
| unobtrusive place, like the inside of a ring. If you | | | | mixed with stronger metals. For example, |
| look there, you might see a tiny "14K", "750", or | | | | necklaces are often made from 10 or 14 karat |
| something similar. Here are some common | | | | gold. |