Gold jewellery is coming back into fashion and it comes in different purity. How is a 18karats (k) gold ring different from a 24k gold ring? Should I buy a 18k gold bracelet with a great design or should I buy a 24k gold bracelet with a mediocre design given the same budget? How does the purity of gold affect the price of the jewellery? This is a question one may ask when buying gold jewellery, especially for 'si dian jin' - literally translated to four pieces of gold the bride will wear during the Chinese wedding tea ceremony.
Gold purity is measured in carats or karats with the symbol 'k'. Pure gold is 24k, it means 24 parts of the mass is gold. When we melt the mass, we are expected to extract 99.9% of gold from it. 18k means 18 parts of the mass are gold, 6 parts of it are alloy. Or 75% of the mass is gold, i.e. 18/24 x 100%. The table below shows the karat vs percentage of gold.
Karats
|
% of gold
|
9k
|
37.5
|
10k
|
41.7
|
12k
|
50.0
|
14k
|
58.3
|
17k
|
70.8
|
18k
|
75.0
|
21k
|
87.5
|
22k
|
91.6
|
23k
|
95.8
|
24k
|
99.9
|
Needless to say, the higher the percentage of gold, the more expensive is the piece of jewellery given the same design. However, the higher the percentage of gold, the softer will be the metal and it is not ideal for fine jewellery. 18k gold or 14k gold is usually used to make intricate fine jewellery because of their ideal hardness. 12k gold and below is usually not recommended for jewellery, though they can still be sold legally as real gold in some countries.
Having understanding the different gold purities, should one buy a 18k gold ring or 24k gold bracelet? The answer is it depends. If one intends to wear the 'si dian jian' once and keep them in a safe box after the wedding, it is recommended to buy 24k gold for appreciation potential. If one intends to wear them frequently, it is recommended to buy 18k gold for its resistance to scratches and suitability to be made into a wider range of designs.
Better still, one may consider ORO22 gold jewellery from the Poh Heng Jewellery. It is made of 22k gold, which has a higher percentage of gold than 18k jewellery. And the designs modern and contemporary, designed for the women in the corporate world.
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| ORO22 Bracelet |
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| ORO22 Earrings |
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| ORO22 Ring |