Different Gold Types & Gold Karat Explained

A forever classic, yellow gold is prized for its timeless beauty and unfading warm tone and is closest in appearance to pure gold. For thousands of years, it has been an essential jewelry staple that is charmingly vintage-inspired or of-the-moment, depending on how it's worn.

The standard measurement of gold is the karat. Pure gold is 24 karats, which means that 24 out of 24 parts is gold. Because pure gold is too soft for jewelry, it is combined with other metal alloys to increase its strength. For example, 14K gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other alloys. The most common karats used in jewelry are 18K, 14K and 10K gold. Alloys used with yellow gold include copper and silver.

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Standard Gold Karat Weights

24K
Pure, the highest karat. 24K is not popular for jewelry because it can bend or scratch.
22K
Very high quality, with 92% gold and 8% alloyed metals. Stronger than pure karat gold, but still soft.
18K
75% gold and 25% alloyed metals. This high quality karat gold is a traditional staple for jewelry.
14K
A lower karat count for high end jewelry, at 58% gold. The lower amount makes it more durable.
10K
10K, another low karat count, comes in at 41% gold. It is popular because of its affordability.