The Gilded Karat - Determining Gold"s Value in Jewelry

For thousands of years, and throughout human history, gold has both forged and destroyed cultures and civilizations. Even today as the economy stumbles to gain footing, gold remains the standard to which all other currency is measured. In the case of jewelry, and though there are precious metals considered more valuable, gold is still the most popular.

Even within the realm of gold jewelry, however, some jewelry holds more value than others. Since 100% pure gold is too delicate to use in jewelry settings, it’s alloyed with other precious metals such as silver, titanium, nickel, and palladium. Red or rose gold hues are achieved by adding copper into the mix. Therefore, the gold used in jewelry is awarded its Karat certification, based on the percentage of pure gold content within the alloy created.

According to the international standards of the World Gold Council, the following is a list of Karat assignments, gold content levels, and the locations where gold of specific Karats are most popular.

• 24 Karat: 99.9% = pure gold (worldwide)


• 24 Karat: 99.0% = minimum allowed for pure gold (worldwide)


• 22 Karat: 91.6% = (Indian subcontinent)


• 21 Karat: 87.5% = (Arabic countries)


• 19.2 Karat: 80% = (Portugal)


• 18 Karat: 75% = (International standard)


• 14 Karat: 58.5% = (USA)


• 10 Karat: 41.7% = (Minimum, USA)


• 9 Karat: 37.5% = (U.K. standard)


• 8 Karat: 33.3% = (Minimum, Germany)

Also, and with the World Gold Council mandating that gold be stamped with its Karat indication in order to be sold on the open market, it’s much easier to understand the value of the gold jewelry you are buying .

Hopefully, with this information, you now have a better understanding as to why you may encounter jewelry pieces such as diamond hoop earrings or diamond bracelets in 18k gold and set with less quality stones, which still cost more than pieces featuring higher quality diamonds in 14k or 10k gold.

Has this article turned your thoughts golden? Then you may want to check out Goldipedia — the World Gold Council’s informational resource on everything gold.

Source by Katie Keefe Smith

The Gilded Karat - Determining Gold"s Value in Jewelry