If you're looking to buy jewellery, you might have come across the terms 'carats' or 'ct' and wondered what they mean. Some people think that they refer to weight, but in reality, they indicate the purity or percentage of gold in the item. Here's a breakdown of the different carats of gold:
- 9ct Gold: This type of gold is 37.5% pure gold, making it the most affordable carat of gold on the market. It's also the strongest gold and can withstand daily wear and tear with minimal damage. You can recognize 9ct gold by its light yellow colour.
- 14ct Gold: This gold is 58.5% pure gold and is less popular than other carats. However, it's a great alternative to 18ct gold because it's cheaper. It has a warm, yellow colour that looks stunning on certain skin tones.
- 18ct Gold: This gold is 75% pure gold and is used more frequently in jewellery making than the other carats. You can add white materials such as palladium to make white gold or copper to make rose gold. Rose and white gold are becoming increasingly popular due to their unique colours. 18ct gold has a warm, bright, and radiant colour due to its high percentage of pure gold.
- 22ct Gold: This gold is 91.6% pure gold and is mainly used in wedding rings. However, it's a very soft carat of gold to work with, which makes it difficult to set stones in. Jewellery makers cannot use this carat to set stones as the material bends easily, and the stones would fall out quickly.
- 24ct Gold: This gold is 99.9% pure gold and is the purest gold you can get. It's naturally very yellow in colour and is highly valuable. However, it's too soft and malleable to use for fine jewellery. It's primarily used for investment purposes and is considered a symbol of wealth and status.
