Gold Jewellery - Should I Buy 9K or 24K
Most of us understand jewellery at an emotional level... we understand how it makes us feel, but little about how it is made and the materials it is made from. In fact, it is common and natural for us to judge a piece of gold jewellery more by its price tag (with cheaper jewellery being less desirable and more expensive gold jewellery being more desirable) than by all those confusing numbers! However, there's a lot more to know about jewellery than just how the price tag makes you feel. Today we explore the differences between 9K, 14K, 18K and 24K gold. What Do the Numbers Mean? Unlike with gemstones, where karatage refers to weight, in gold the number of karats refers to the purity of the metal. So: 24 karat is pure gold 18 karat is three quarters pure gold, one quarter alloyed with another metal 14 karat is 14 parts out of 24 parts pure gold 9 karat is 9 out of 24 parts pure gold Any of the not-quite-pure gold types may also be gold plated, but this is uncommon. In...