What is the karat of pure gold?

Gold is a soft metal. In order to make it hard, it has to be alloyed. Gold has to be compounded with other metals such as silver, copper, or zinc. The mixture will give gold a texture of hardness that is usually used in jewelry making. Pure gold is termed 24 karats. 18 karats of gold mean 18 parts per 24 or an alloy with 75% of pure gold by mass. What is the best karat gold? Karat is the term used to measure the gold content in a metal. The number before KT or K means the parts out of 24 of pure gold mass. The higher the number the higher the quantity of gold there is in the mixture. As mentioned earlier in this text, the alloy compounded with gold are mixed to meet durability, desired color, and consistency of fine jewelry. 

The Different Karats of Gold:

24K gold. 100% pure gold is 24k gold meaning all 24 parts of the gold are made of pure gold and no traces of other metals. 24k gold has a distinguishable bright yellow color. Note that there is no other form of gold higher than 24k. Characteristics of 24k gold: less density, soft and pliable. Because of the characteristics of 24k gold, it is not suitable to be used in jewelry making. Coins and bars, however, are usually bought with 100% gold, the 24k gold. 24k gold is also used in some electronics and other medical devices.  24k gold has the natural warm colour of pure gold. This colour cannot be altered without changing the purity to less than 24k.

22K gold. The 22k gold is commonly used in jewelry making. In 22K gold, of the 100 percent, only 91.67 percent is pure gold. The remaining 8.33% comes from metals like silver, zinc, nickel and other alloys. These other metals make the gold harder and thus makes the jewelry imperishable.

18K gold. Most studded and diamond jewelry are made with 18K gold. 18k gold means that of the 100%, 75% is pure gold and the remaining 25% is made of other metals like copper, silver, and etc. 18k gold pieces of jewelry are slightly dull in color are usually stamped with 18K, 18Kt, 18k or 750, 0.75

14K gold. 14KT gold means it has about 58.5% of pure gold. It has a warm yellow color. It is less expensive 18KT gold. This is a popular choice among gold collectors because of its affordability.

9K gold. 9KT has only 37.5% of pure gold. It is the most affordable form of gold jewelry. It has a light yellow color. The higher percentage of other metals in 9KT makes it stronger and more durable. It is significantly suited in jewelry making.