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Gold Karat Weight

At One Hundred East Fine Jewelry, our magnificent, hand-picked gemstones are exclusively set in exquisite precious metals; primarily 14 Kt or 18 Kt gold or occasionally in platinum or sterling silver. We chose those metal options as they represent the material quality our discriminating and refined clientele expects.

Both 14 Kt and 18 Kt are gold alloys. Gold alloys were created by mixing pure gold with a variety of other metals (mainly silver, copper, palladium, zinc, nickel and cobalt) for two primary reasons; 1) to make the gold harder and better able to withstand the rigors of jewelry wear and 2) to create new gold colors (white gold and rose gold, etc.)

The primary differences between 14 Kt and 18 Kt gold of the same color are as follows:

  • 14 Kt is 58.33% pure gold and 18 Kt is 75% pure gold. Therefore 18 Kt contains over 28% more pure gold than does 14 Kt. The remainder consists of the other metals mentioned above.
  • 14 Kt gold is harder and more durable than 18 Kt gold. Pure gold is quite soft, with the other elements increasing the hardness. Since 14 Kt gold has more of the other elements, it’s the harder and more durable of the two
  • 14 Kt gold is less expensive on a same weight basis because it contains more of the less expensive elements.

Both gold karat weights create exceptional jewelry pieces. They provide a superior and more elegant look and feel to the alternatives and are capable of lasting generations with proper care. The decision between the two often boils down to price and personal preference, which is why we offer the option to shop our fine gold jewelry by karat weight.

If you want to learn more about gemstones, metal types or anything else about our jewelry, check out our education and resources page! From there you can also learn about jewelry care and cleaning, as well as many other topics.

 

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