Gold Jewellery - The Carat system explained.
Posted on: January 10, 2011
Gold Jewellery: The Carat system explained.
The gleaming metal known as gold has been a favourite of mankind since the dawn of time. It never rusts or corrodes, which means it keeps its value and lustre. For this reason, and also because of its relative rarity, gold has been a standard of money for many thousands of years. Gold jewellery is now graded by carats. Common carat weights in today’s jewellery are 9 ct - 14 ct - 18 ct - 24 ct, but, what is the meaning of the carat system, and which grade is best?
The carat numbers refer to the relative purity of the gold, with 24 ct gold being the purest, ie 24 parts out of 24 gold. There is a trade-off however, because gold is also one of the most malleable of metals. Therefore, the purer the gold, the softer the metal, and the less robust the item will be. Lower carat gold’s tend to cost a little less than the higher carat gold’s, but they are more durable. Wedding bands for instance are traditionally made of 9 or 10 ct gold so that they last many years. Many couples include a line about this durability in their wedding ceremony.
So which type of gold is best? It depends on your needs. Nine carat gold consists of 37.5% gold and 62.5% other metals (9 parts of 24 are gold). This means that it has the gleam of real gold but costs much less than the purer 18 ct gold jewellery costs. In fact, 18 ct. gold jewellery costs 2.5 times what 9 ct. goes for. A nice mid-price selection is 14 ct gold, which consists of 58.3% gold.
Some people are allergic to metals however. For them, higher carat gold may be required to keep their skin from breaking out. The allergy is usually not to gold but to one of the other metals, usually nickel, used in the alloy. Nickel is often used in 9 ct. white gold. The variety of other metals, such as copper, silver, or zinc, used in the gold alloy account for the colour differences sometimes seen in gold jewellery. But whether the gold is white, yellow, gold, or pink, it is still the hottest status symbol going!
So whether you’re looking for Gold Bracelets, Necklaces, Earrings, Chains or Rings, let us search for some of the best examples for you to buy across the web, collected for your convenience here at GoldJewellery.co.
The gleaming metal known as gold has been a favourite of mankind since the dawn of time. It never rusts or corrodes, which means it keeps its value and lustre. For this reason, and also because of its relative rarity, gold has been a standard of money for many thousands of years. Gold jewellery is now graded by carats. Common carat weights in today’s jewellery are 9 ct - 14 ct - 18 ct - 24 ct, but, what is the meaning of the carat system, and which grade is best?
The carat numbers refer to the relative purity of the gold, with 24 ct gold being the purest, ie 24 parts out of 24 gold. There is a trade-off however, because gold is also one of the most malleable of metals. Therefore, the purer the gold, the softer the metal, and the less robust the item will be. Lower carat gold’s tend to cost a little less than the higher carat gold’s, but they are more durable. Wedding bands for instance are traditionally made of 9 or 10 ct gold so that they last many years. Many couples include a line about this durability in their wedding ceremony.
So which type of gold is best? It depends on your needs. Nine carat gold consists of 37.5% gold and 62.5% other metals (9 parts of 24 are gold). This means that it has the gleam of real gold but costs much less than the purer 18 ct gold jewellery costs. In fact, 18 ct. gold jewellery costs 2.5 times what 9 ct. goes for. A nice mid-price selection is 14 ct gold, which consists of 58.3% gold.
Some people are allergic to metals however. For them, higher carat gold may be required to keep their skin from breaking out. The allergy is usually not to gold but to one of the other metals, usually nickel, used in the alloy. Nickel is often used in 9 ct. white gold. The variety of other metals, such as copper, silver, or zinc, used in the gold alloy account for the colour differences sometimes seen in gold jewellery. But whether the gold is white, yellow, gold, or pink, it is still the hottest status symbol going!
So whether you’re looking for Gold Bracelets, Necklaces, Earrings, Chains or Rings, let us search for some of the best examples for you to buy across the web, collected for your convenience here at GoldJewellery.co.