Gold Purity
What does karat (kt) mean?
Typically items made of gold are marked with a karat weight. The term "karat" in relation to gold is
the measure of gold purity by mass. The lower the karat weight the less gold the item contains,
conversely, the higher the karat weight the more gold the item contains. Inspection of your gold pieces
should indicate a specific karat weight.
The following descriptions are the most common markings found on gold jewelery:
- For 10 karat - 10k, 10kt, 417 ( 41.7% pure gold)
- For 14 karat - 14k, 14kt, 585 ( 58.5% pure gold)
- For 18 karat - 18k, 18kt, 750 ( 75.0% pure gold)
- For 22 karat - 22k, 22kt, 916 ( 91.6% pure gold)
Please note, both White and Rose gold must be mixed with other metals to create their color, therefore, it’s not possible to have “Pure” (or 100% / 24k) Rose or White Gold.
How Much Will We Pay For Your Gold?
To get an estimate of how much we will pay for a specific item go to our Gold Calculator page
where you can calculate the value of your gold items.
Gold
What's the difference between Gold (yellow gold), White and Rose gold? Well as
far as what we pay, they are all worth the same, their color does not influence
their value. Generally there is very little difference between the alloys of
Gold. Basically they're gold with some other metals added either to change the
color (as is the case with White and Rose Gold.)
White Gold
White gold is an alloy of gold and at least one white metal mixed in, usually nickel or palladium. White gold's
properties can vary dramatically depending on the metals and proportions used in the mix. This is done deliberately
for different purposes for example, mixing gold with nickel makes it harder which is perfect for rings and brooch
pins, while if you mix gold with a soft metal such as palladium then it becomes good for gemstones settings where
a pliable gold alloy is required.
Rose Gold
Rose gold is made when you mix gold with copper since copper has a reddish color naturally, (gold and copper are
the only colored metals, all the rest are silverish in color). Rose gold may also vary quite a lot in
color depending on the amount of copper mixed with the gold, the higher the copper content the more reddish the color.