Carat is the word for a unit of weight for measuring the weight of precious stones; Karat is the pureness of gold. Every piece of jewelry that contains gold needs to have a stamp or mark showing its Karat.
| Table of gold content in jewelry. |
| Karat |
Thousandth |
Percentage or Pure Gold |
| 8K Gold |
333 |
33.33% |
| 10K Gold |
417 |
41.7% |
| 14K Gold |
585 |
58.3% |
| 16K Gold |
666 |
66.66% |
| 18K Gold |
750 |
75% |
| 20K Gold |
832 |
83.2% |
| 22K Gold |
917 |
91.7% |
| 24K Gold |
1000 |
100% |
- Copper - Reddens the alloy
- Silver - Greens the alloy
- Zinc - Gives a bleached appearance to the alloy
- Nickel - Whitens the alloy
- Palladium - Whitens the Alloy
If you opt for a gold band, you will need to consider how many Karat the gold should be. A Karat is the unit of measure for the fineness of gold, equal to 1/24 part. Pure gold is 24 Karat; gold that is 75% pure is 18 Karat. Gold of 14 Karat means 58.5 % pure gold and the remaining 42.5 % a mixture of silver and copper. This is a mixture to best retain the yellow color of pure gold, or it can be to make the gold look red, or green. A band of pure gold will be too soft to last a lifetime, alloying with other metals hardens it. The purest gold recommended for jewellery is 22 Karat, it has a deep yellow and somewhat dull shine.