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Gold and Its Karats: Knowing the Fake from the Real Thing

Gold is considered as a precious type of Metal. The only difference of metal alloys from gold is the fact that they give jewelries their color and hardness. This means that jewelries with 24 karat gold are considered as the hardest while jewelries with 10 karat gold components are the hardest.
Body: Gold is considered as a precious type of Metal. It has the chemical symbol AU. Its melting temperature is a bit lower than copper, having 1063 degrees C or 1945 degrees F. Gold’s specific gravity is 19.32. Its density is: 1 cubic inch = 10.18 troy ounces. For jewelry purposes, gold is weighed and measured in Grams.
When it comes to gold karats, for the most popular gold jewelry, the most demanded are:
• 24 karat
• 22 karat
• 18 karat
• 14 karat
• 10 karat
Amongst these, the 24 karat gold is considered as the one in its purest form. This is because it is 99.9 percent pure. This means that all 24 parts of this gold is pure and does not have traces of other metals. 24 karat gold is also called “fine gold”. In China, they call this “Chuk Kam, which means “pure gold”.
For 22 karat gold, only 22 parts of this jewelry is made up of gold while 2 parts are derived from other metals. Only 91.3 percent is gold while 8.6 percent is from another metal alloy. For 18 karat gold, 18 parts are gold while 6 parts are, again, from another type of metal alloy. Thus, this means that every gold karat is approximately equal to 4.1625 percent.
The only difference of these metal alloys from gold is the fact that they give jewelries their color and hardness. This means that jewelries with 24 karat gold are considered as the softest while jewelries with 10 karat gold components are the hardest. This is because 10 karat gold jewelries have 41.6% of gold only. It is the other metals that actually enhance the color and the beauty showcased in 10 karat gold jewelry. This would usually be in yellow gold, white gold and red gold types among others.
With regards to the density, gold has a higher density as compared to various other metals being used as an alloy. This means that the higher the gold purity, the heavier the gold jewelry’s weight would be.
Amongst other karats, the gold jewelry’s with 22 karats can be made with intricately beautiful designs, since it is malleable and very soft. It cannot be damages easily. Although it is worn for years, it can maintain its beauty and luster. Like other gold karats, gold jewelries can never be damaged by merely wearing it; they will be damaged or broken when it is improperly stored. At the same time, when gold jewelry is properly stored, especially in their original boxes, plus cleaned in regular intervals, they will rarely get damaged, broken or have its beauty and luster lost.
Once you mix gold with other metal alloys, other colorations and gold variants arise. This would include:
• Pale yellow gold
• Green gold
• Rose gold
• Yellow gold
• Red gold
• Pink gold
• White gold
Thus, the most worn gold jewelry is the 18 karat gold types.
With regards to the gold jewelry in Europe, they placed markings so as to indicate the gold’s purity. This marking is in the form of a three-digit number. The markings are as follows:
• 12 karat – 417 marking; gold purity is only 41.7 percent
• 14 karat – 585 marking; gold purity is only 58.5 percent
• 18 karat – 750 marking; gold purity is only 75 percent
• 22 karat – 917 marking; gold purity is only 91.7 percent
• 24 karat – 999 marking; gold purity is only 99.9 percent
Aside from this marking, there is also a trademark or hallmark near it so as to identify its maker. Aside from this, the country’s origin is also indicated.
One way to test if your jewelry is near is when you immerse it in water for a period of time and it doesn’t rust; then your gold jewelry is real. Another way would be through its color, fake gold is usually shinier because of more metal alloys being used.
Another way to test your jewelry is by dipping it in Clorox for 30 minutes. It will turn black if it’s fools gold. Thus, when you throw it in the fire, it will melt.
The best way, of course, is to check for the markings and to have a professional have a look at it.