Nowadays, gold jewelry is widely used. Gold jewelry symbolizes wealth, luxury and power. If you have ever bought jewelry, surely everyone has heard of '10K Gold', '14K Gold', '18K Gold'. So what's the difference between these types of gold? Let's find out in the article below!
The letter K in gold?
Karat (or Kara), abbreviated K, in the jewelry industry is a unit of measurement for the purity of precious metals or their alloys, such as gold. In this sense, 1 karat is equal to 1/24 of the purity calculated by weight of 18K which is the amount of gold accounting for 18 pieces/24 pieces. 14K gold is composed of 14 parts gold (about 58.5% gold), 10 parts alloy. Similarly, 18K gold will contain 18 parts gold, equivalent to 75% gold and the other 10 parts silver.
What is 10k gold?
10K gold consists of pure gold mixed with other alloys so it is durable, hard, bright, easy to attach stones and cheaper than pure gold. The total ratio of 10k gold mixed is 24 parts, 10 parts are pure gold and 14 parts are alloys. 10k gold is not pure gold so it has a pale yellow color, however to make jewelry it is often plated white for beauty.
10K gold is popular in the jewelry manufacturing industry because it is much cheaper than other types of gold and highly durable. So if you have a tight budget, you should choose 10K gold. Women who like to wear white jewelry should choose 10K gold jewelry because its white color is quite shiny and smooth.
However, 10K gold is mostly a mixture of metals such as silver, copper, nickel... that easily oxidizes, leading to tarnish when exposed to chemicals and air. In order for 10K gold jewelry to be durable, users should pay attention to preserving and cleaning it regularly.
What is 14k gold?
14K gold is an alloy between gold and some other metals such as copper, iron, nickel... K is the Karat unit, based on which people evaluate the purity of gold products.
Accordingly, the higher the karat unit, the greater the purity level. For 14K gold, pure gold accounts for about 58.5%, other metals account for 41.5%. Adding other metals makes 14K gold harder and more durable than 18K or 24K gold.
14K gold is also one of the materials commonly used to make jewelry, especially wedding rings.
For customers who do not have financial conditions, they can choose 14K gold jewelry to save costs. If customers are financially abundant, they can choose gold products with higher value such as 18K gold, 22K gold, 24K gold.
What is 18k gold?
18k gold is gold with a pure gold content of about 75%, the remaining 25% is other alloys. 18k gold along with 10k, 14k, 22k gold, etc. are often referred to as western gold.
Jewelry made of 18k gold is very pure, which is why it is less likely to cause allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to, for example, nickel, if this metal is present in the 18k gold alloy.
18k gold jewelry has a more reasonable price than 24k gold, the designs are also much more diverse, each line is meticulously crafted and reaches a level of sophistication. Therefore, by owning a set of 18k gold jewelry, customers can be completely assured in terms of both value and skin safety, especially in terms of aesthetics.
So what type of gold should you buy jewelry with? 10k, 14k, 18k or 24k?
As mentioned above, Vietnamese gold is suitable for savings or investment purposes because it does not lose value, while 10k, 14k, 18k and 24k gold are more suitable for the jewelry industry because this is considered the perfect material for jewelry. strength.
In addition, the highest meaning of jewelry is to honor the beauty of the user, using 10k, 14k, 18k and 24k gold with jewelry is considered the perfect choice. 10K gold has the best durability because it contains many alloys, but in terms of value, 18K gold will be higher because it contains more gold. Having said that, choosing the best type of gold jewelry depends on each person's intended use.