Gold Compared: 24K, 22K, 18K and more

Gold has always been known as a precious metal that is used in jewellery, and gold jewellery comes in many purities. Common ones include 24K, 22K, 18K, and 14K. 

The K, which stands for karat, is used to denote the purity of gold in the final product (out of 24K, which is pure gold). This is not to be confused with the carat (c) unit of mass that’s used to weigh diamonds.

For example, 18K gold means that there are 18 out of 24 karat, which also means that there are 75% or 75 grams of pure gold in 100 grams of alloy. The general rule is that the value of gold is proportionate to its purity - the purer the gold, the higher the value.

We’re going to start off the blog with the purest gold, 24K or 999 Gold, which also means that the purity of gold is 99.9%. It is also the most expensive, which makes it the best type to do a trade-in.

As gold is the traditional symbol for wealth and abundance, many people like wearing or having wealth-related symbols made in 999 Gold, the purest form of gold. Common jewellery for 999 gold includes Pixius, coins, money bags, etc. 

Pure gold on their own are quite soft and malleable, thus are not recommended for daily wear, especially if you are an active person.

22K, also popularly known as 916 Gold, is probably the most popular gold purity sought by people, regardless of culture or occasion. These gold jewellery pieces are a great balance between value and durability. 

18K gold is of lower purity than 22K and 24K gold, which are slightly more affordable and very popular as well. These type of gold have more other metals that are non-gold mixed into them. The 18K yellow gold are less vibrant compared to 22K and 24K as well. White gold jewellery are typically from 18K purity and lower.

Lower purity gold jewellery, such as 10K, 12K, and 14K, are still considered gold items as well. Depending on an individual’s preferences on colour, purity, and price points, customers have the option to choose from the gold of all the different purities. 

In Arthesdam Jewellery, every piece of Jewellery is certified by the Singapore Assay Office (SAO) with the SAO Hallmark, the only assurance of gold authenticity and purity in Singapore.