When purchasing gold jewelry, you want to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. It’s a large investment after all. It’s important to find the information needed in order to recognize your investment goals and develop a plan from there so that you can feel confident about your purchase.
How To Tell Quality: Carats
Carat grade is the unit of measure used to convey the quality and amount of gold in an alloy. Fine gold is 24 carat or 99.999% pure.
Because of its malleable consistency, gold must be mixed (or alloyed) with various other harder metals in order to strengthen and bond it, which makes 100% pure gold virtually impossible to refine. This alloying process may change the color of the gold as well. Copper, silver, zinc, nickel, manganese, and tin are the metals utilized in the alloying procedure.
Where To Look For Grade: Stamps
By law, all jewelry must be stamped in order for consumers to know the quality of gold used. In North America, all jewelry is stamped with a carat grade (10K, 14K, etc.), while in Italy, all jewelry is stamped with a “fineness” number (417, 583, etc.). When you buy gold, make sure to check for the stamped carat grade. If it’s not there, check for the 3-digit fineness number. Also, when buying a diamond worth as much or more than the gold, make sure to value the jewelry together. It might also be a good idea to get insurance for especially precious pieces in case you want to sell them later. Having proper documentation will always increase the appraisal value.
In the bullets below, the proportions in carats and fineness are illustrated:
- 10K is 10/24 parts gold to alloy, with a percentage of 41.67 and a fineness of 417.
- 14K is 14/24 parts gold to alloy, with a percentage of 58.33 and a fineness of 583.
- 18K is 18/24 parts gold to alloy, with a percentage of 75.00 and a fineness of 750.
- 22K is 22/24 parts gold to alloy, with a percentage of 91.66 and a fineness of 917.
Why Buy Gold Jewelry?
Gold is valued because of its desirable physical appearance. It is also one of the rarest metals on Earth. Before you buy gold, you naturally want to know the value. There are precious metals experts who can help you with that and make sure you secure the best possible investment choice.
About the author: Kristy Kravitsky is a Pennsylvania State alumni with a degree in English and a passion for writing.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Ramasamy Chidambaram.