What Does Karat Mean?
What is a karat? And what does it mean if something is 10, 14, 18, or 24 karat?
Karat is the measurement that is used for how much gold is in the piece, with 24 karat (or kt) being the highest karat available. So if a something is 10 karat gold it has 10/24 karats of gold, meaning it’s 41.7% gold mixed with other alloys. 14 karat gold means it has 58.3% pure gold. 18 karat is 75% gold.
Gold is a softer metal, which is why it’s mixed with other alloys, or metals. For example, yellow gold is mixed with silver and copper, and rose gold is alloyed with copper, white gold is alloyed with nickel and zinc.
FUN FACT:
Yellow gold is the only gold that can be 24 karat, because white and rose gold have to be mixed with other alloys in order to achieve the color they portray.
FUN FACT:
The natural color of white gold has a yellow hue to it. In order to give it that shiny silver finish it’s dipped in a solution, also known as rhodium plating.