The Carats of gold, what makes them different?

Illustrated by different symbols such as Ct, or K, the carat is a unit of measurement used to determine the purity of gold. The higher the carat, the more valuable the purity of the gold. So there are different carats ranging from 9 to 24 carats. 

Understand and appreciate the quality of gold

Diamond Ring 0.52 Carats Paving Diamonds 18k White Gold

We commonly speak of carats to define the part of gold in the precious metal from which your jewelry is made, but officially, the part of gold is defined in thousandths, while carats are 24ths. For example, 18 carat gold is therefore composed of 18/24 gold, and therefore corresponds to 750/1000 gold.

Gold says “24 carats”

24 carat gold, otherwise known as 999 thousandths, is entirely made of pure gold. But 24 carat gold is not suitable for jewelry because it is too soft. It is then easily damaged and tends to deform. It will be used more for investments and is therefore not used in traditional jewelry. 

Gold called “18 carats”, a tradition for vintage jewelry

The traditional carat used in jewelry is therefore 18-carat gold, made up of 75% pure gold. The remaining 25% is made up of other metals such as silver or copper. It is moreover this alloy which will give the color to the jewel, we will therefore be able to find White gold, yellow gold or of rose gold. Thus, 18-carat gold jewelry can be passed down from generation to generation thanks to its solidity and its high proportion of gold. The vast majority of gold jewelry on 58 Facettes have this gold content. 

Gold in “14 carats or 9 carats”

Then we have 14 karat gold containing 58,3% pure gold. Being composed of more alloy than the previous ones, “14 carat” gold jewelry is more affordable since it contains less gold. They are however more fragile than those in 18 carat gold and of a different tonality, which may please. This character remains more widespread across the Atlantic.

Finally, 9 carat gold is made from an alloy of only 37,5% pure gold. Moreover in France, 9-carat gold is rather considered as “gold alloy” than solid gold. It is therefore more commonly used for costume jewelry because it tends to oxidize due to its low gold content.

Half wedding ring 18 carat yellow gold 0,70 carat diamonds

You will find some jewels of this gold content, but quite rarely on 58 Facettes.

Find all our jewelry on 58 facettes.