Jewellery blog and fashion news: We prefer the Real Thing… …real gold and diamonds

It can sometimes be difficult to choose between two differently priced pieces of jewellery based on caratage…. I have decided to look into the matter and im here to share my findings with you…

 

 

 

 

The “carat” system was invented in the XIV century in England to facilitate the use of gold in commerce
The carat (ct) is a measure of the purity of precious metals such as gold. In this conext a carat represents 1/24th of the total mass of an alloy.

For example, 15 ct gold means that in 24g of the alloy you will find 15g of pure gold. 24 carat gold is pure gold.

 

 

18 ct gold means that in 24g of the metal there is 18g or 75.01% of “pure gold“. It is also known as 750/1000° and the hallmark is the head of an eagle.

14 carat gold means that in 24g of metal there is 14g or 58.5% of “pure gold”. It is also known as 585/1000° and the hallmark representing this gold is a Scallop Shell.».

Therefore the alloy making up 18 carat gold contains more gold than the 14 carat alloy. The gold in 18 carat jewellery is the ideal mix of “pure gold” and the other metals used to increase the rigidity or the gold which is a very soft metal. The mix preserves the  stainless and non allergenic qualities of the gold.

Pure gold of 100% does not exist. The minting house of the royal canadian mint was the first in the world to manage to achieve 99.9% pure gold in 1979, and then increased the standard to 99.99% in 1982. Finally, since 1997, it is now possible to purify gold to the level known as « 5-9 »: 99.999% pure. Today, the Royal Canadian minting house is the only establishment to have managed to produce « 5-9 ».

The alloys:

18 ct yellow gold is made up from 75% pure gold, 12.5% silver and 12.5% copper in order to achieve the best comprimise of colour and properties

Pink 18ct gold is made from 75% pure gold, 5% silver, and 20% copper which gives it its colour.

18 carat white gold or grey gold is 75% gold, and a mix of silver copper and palladium depending on the desired colur and quality.
White gold is in reality grey and is covered in a fine layer of rhodium to give it its white colour. This layer can get worn away with time and must be topped up at a jewellers.

 

…Sarah…

Tags: 14 carat gold, 18 carat gold, 585/1000 gold, 75/1000 gold, caratage, difference 14 18 carat, eagle hallmark, gold alloy, Pink Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold