When you buy a piece of gold jewellery, it usually isn’t made out of pure gold. The reason for this is that pure gold is very soft. If engagement rings, earrings and other jewellery were made using pure gold, they’d scratch and warp extremely easily. Therefore all gold jewellery is made from an alloy combining pure gold with a variety of precious metals.
So,what is the difference between 9ct, 14ct, 18ct OR 24ct ?
The carat system shows the purity of the gold metails, indicating the percentage of pure gold within the mix of precious metals.
The remaining mix of various precious metals depends on whether it is a yellow, rose or white gold piece.
Higher-carat gold is soft and pliable; lower-carat gold is harder and more durable.
24ct - pure gold (100% purity)
This type of gold has an inimitable colour and shine, but due to its softness,it is very vulnerable to scratches and can easily be damaged, therefore, it is not really suited to jewellery. It is s mainly used to make coins, bars or electronics and medical devices.
14ct and 18ct gold are both highly popular options for different jewellery settings.
18ct gold (75% purity)
The 18 Carat gold comprises of 75% gold mixed with 25% of other alloys. This is the purest and most expensive gold found in modern jewellery, and is usually reserved for high-end pieces. Its biggest advantage is also its biggest inconvenience, as due to its purity it’s noticeably softer and easier to scratch than 14ct gold.
14ct gold (58.5% purity)
14ct gold is more affordable and durable than 18ct, making it the better choice if you has an active lifestyle or if you work with your hands, as it’s significantly more resistant to scratches. It’s by far the most popular type of gold for engagement rings, representing about 90% of all rings sold in the US, UK and other Western countries.
14ct and 18ct gold can both be excellent choices for jewelleries, the decision should be made depending your lifestyle. For highly active persons, who works with their hands, and would like to wear the jewellery every day, a 14ct gold ring will be a better choice. It will it be more durable and practical for everyday use than an 18ct piece, while still looking absolutely stunning.
9ct gold (37.5% purity)
9ct gold contains the least amount of gold, but what it lacks in purity it makes up for in toughness and affordability. It is commonly used for fine pieces of jewellery that are typically designed for casual wear, due to its relative low cost and high durability. As 9ct is more rigid its’s great for casual wear while its also brings everyday pieces to a more accessible price range.
This type of gold looks slightly more pale than purer variants, but you’ll have to look hard to spot the difference (in fact, most people can’t distinguish between 9ct and 14ct gold at all).
At Eterling we design our jewellery to be worn and loved every day and to become part of your story. We aim to propose high quality permanent pieces to your collection, that might become family heirlooms, therefore all of our pieces are made from at least solid 9 carat gold, rather than gold plated, gold filled or gold vermeil as the quality and longevity is incomparable.
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