What’s the Difference Between 10K, 14K, 18K and 24K Gold Jewelry?

Gold jewelry is an asset for the buyer, or in the event where it is presented as a gift, an asset to the receiver. 14K gold jewelry is generally considered to be the ideal karat gold for rings and wedding bands because it is strong yet will not easily tarnish.

People all over the world have a strong sense of appreciation for gold. Several bloody wars were the result of fights about gold. It is also a known fact that from the earliest times, the amount of gold you possessed was evident of your power and authority. Up to this moment, people the world over have not lost their fascination for gold jewelry. Gold jewelry has always been part of significant ceremonies such as weddings and many other religious events.

What is Gold?

The color of pure gold is metallic yellow. With different types of metals or various alloys such as iron pyrite or copper, copying or imitating the color of gold is not hard to do. It is possible to create the same look as 14K gold.

So why pick 14K gold?

The answer is easy. Gold does not change in color, or does not rust, corrode, or fade. Gold survives time. In addition, gold can be shaped to any size or shape.

However the flexibility of gold does have a drawback. Due to pure gold's flexibility, it is a very soft metal and therefore are not very durable in it's purest form. Because of this, certain other metals are mixed with gold in order to strengthen it and make it more stronger and durable. These mixtures of metals are called alloys. As a rule, metals such as copper, nickel, zinc and silver are used to create these alloys.

As mentioned these alloys strengthen the gold but also play a large part in the determination of the color of gold. For example, yellow gold will contain copper, and white gold will have nickel, zinc & copper. Making use of these alloys, gold can be presented in an array of different colors. From there yellow, rose or white gold.

Purity in terms of Karat

The amount of purity is designated by the letter "K" followed by the number of parts out of 24. Karat is expressed in 24ths, making 24k gold 100% gold. In other words, purity of gold is measured from 1 to 24. 24 Karat gold is the softest and gold in it's most purest form.

For 18K gold, 18 parts out of 24 are gold and the remaining 25% will be an alloy. The more alloys there is, the lower the karat value of gold. The higher the alloy content, the stronger and more durable the piece of jewelry will be.
It is typically used in jewelry that needs to represent high value such as engagement diamond rings and wedding rings. 18K gold is also used when a rich yellow color wants to be obtained in a certain piece of jewelry. 18K gold jewelry are obviously not as strong or hard as 14 or 10K gold and therefore will wear off sooner, but this fact does not cause any decline in popularity.

14K gold means that 14 of the 24 karats are an alloy. Probably 90% of all the gold engagement rings and wedding bands sold in the United States are made with 14K gold. When choosing the best karat gold for wedding bands, you can not go wrong with 14K pieces.

10K Gold Wedding Bands contain less gold and more of the alloy. This result in 10K gold being less expensive than the typical 14K gold prices. It is the least pure form of gold and obviously the form of gold you will pay the least for.