We wanted to share some intel on the differences between 10kt, 14kt and 18kt gold. Most
people know that there is a difference, but they don’t know what that difference really means.
24k Gold
We’ve all heard of 24k gold. It’s solid gold which means that the only metal used in 24k gold is PURE GOLD, it isn’t mixed with other metals. This type of gold is too soft to wear as jewellery. That’s one reason why we ended up with different karat weights of gold in fine jewellery. The higher the karat weight, the softer the gold is.In Canada, most of the jewellery we’ve come to love uses anywhere from 10k to 18k gold.At Diamonds Direct, we focus on 10k, 14k, and 18k gold because we want to give you quality jewellery that will last. We don’t plate our jewellery, it’s all real gold.
10k, 14k & 18k Solid Gold
10k gold is made of 10 parts gold and 14 parts other metals like copper, zinc, silver or nickel. It’s about 42% pure gold.
14k gold is about 60% gold and 40% copper, zinc, silver or nickel.
18k gold is 75% pure gold and 25% copper, zinc, silver or nickel.
Green
Another question we get is “why did my jewellery turn green on my skin?” The simple answer is, the less gold used, and the more alloys used, i.e. in fashion jewellery, the metals will react to water and oils on your skin, turning it green. This should not occur with solid gold jewellery, which is why we only carry solid gold!
Sensitive Skin & Allergies
One thing to note if you’re someone with sensitive skin: it is not uncommon to be allergic to nickel and copper which are two metals used in combination to make gold. If that’s you, we always recommend going with 18kt gold. The higher the gold composition in jewellery, the less it’s mixed with other metals (and the less likely you will have an allergic reaction).