Types of gold available and their carats

Gold : Gold has been treasured since years due to its natural beauty and radiance. Gold is resistant to tarnish, rust and corrosion, it is an extremely versatile metal, this quality makes it the most important metal in jewelry making. Till date, it has not lost its value and is considered to be one of the most sought after metal. It's also known as the king of all metals. The first thing to look for when buying gold jewelry is the karat mark "k". The karat mark will let you know how much gold content the jewelry has. Then, look for the manufacturer's trademark next to the karat mark. The manufacturer's trademark is there to assure you that the karat mark is accurate. Gold is measured in Karat, which is divided into 24 parts. This unit of measurement tells us the percentage of gold in a piece. Pure gold is 24 carats, which means 24 out of 24 parts are gold. However, pure gold is too soft to be used for jewelry, hence it is alloyed with various metals like silver, copper, nickel, and zinc to increase its strength and durability. The most common gold types (colors) are: 1. Yellow gold 2. White gold and 3. Rose gold 1. Yellow gold is made by mixing pure gold with silver, copper, and zinc. It is the purest color, the most hypo-allergenic, and requires the least maintenance of all the gold colors. Gold in various carats: 24K - 24K gold is 100% pure gold without any traces of other metals. There is no higher form of gold than 24K. It is more expensive and prestigious than 22K or 18K or 14K gold. Though you'll rarely find any jewelry made out of 24K, as it is very soft and tends to scratch and bend easily thus making it infeasible for daily jewelry. It has a deep yellow tone. Quite often 24K gold is used for investing purpose in the form of coins or bars and its also used for electronic and medical devices. 22K - 22K piece of gold is 22/24 = 0.919= 91.7% gold, the remaining 8% comprises of a mixture of other alloys. The other alloys being, silver, zinc, nickel, etc. The addition of alloys makes the mixture little harder and thus helps in making the jewelry durable. 18K - 18K gold refers to an alloy of gold that contains 18 parts of gold or is composed of 75% of gold and mixed with 25% of other metals like silver, copper, etc., makes it strong enough for everyday wear. Though it is softer than 14K gold, it is less expensive than 24K and 22K. 14K - 14K refers to an alloy of gold that contains 14 parts of gold or is composed of at least 58.3 % pure gold and 41.7% of other metals. The presence of other metals 14K gold offers more resistance to wear and tear. It is harder and durable 10K - 10K gold refers to an alloy of gold that contains 10 parts of gold or at least 41.7% of gold and the remainder being other alloys such as silver or nickel or zinc. 10K gold is very sturdy, not too soft and doesn't scratch or bend easily. It is the cheapest form of gold since it contains less part of gold. While the cost is low 2. White gold is made of gold and platinum (or palladium). White gold can also be made of gold, palladium, nickel, and zinc. White gold is more durable and scratch-resistant than yellow gold. It is also more affordable than both yellow gold and platinum. White gold is more contemporary than Yellow gold, the silvery whiteness makes white gold jewelry very appealing. White gold is made by mixing gold with alloys like copper, zinc, and palladium (platinum). Its plated with a hard element called rhodium (platinum group metal) hence is more durable and scratch resistant than yellow gold. Though rhodium may wear away over time a simple replating process will bring back the original shine of white gold. White gold is more affordable than yellow gold and platinum. It was initially introduced as an alternative for platinum. 3. Rose gold (or pink gold) is alloyed with gold, copper, and silver. Rose gold is more affordable than the other gold colors because it uses the inexpensive copper for its rose color. Due to its copper content, rose gold is more durable than yellow or white gold. Rose gold is warm, unique and romantic. The beautiful pink hue is created by shifting the ratio to incorporate more copper and less silver. Rose Gold jewelry is much appreciated due to the delicateness of the color. Rose gold is also called as Pink gold or Red gold. The difference between Pink gold and Red gold is the copper content - the higher the copper content, the stronger the red coloration.