Gold Karat Guide
When it comes to fine jewellery, gold as a base metal is a classic choice. You can get a piece made in white gold, yellow gold, and even rose gold, but the choices go farther than that. Whether you're browsing for a wedding band, a gift, or a piece for yourself, you'll notice a wide range of gold types labeled with terms like 10K, 14K, 18K, or even 24K. So what exactly do those numbers mean?
In short, they tell you how pure the gold is. A higher karat means that the piece’s metal has more gold and fewer other metals. But that doesn’t necessarily mean “better”—because with purity comes softness. The right karat for you depends on how you plan to wear your piece, your budget, and your aesthetic preferences.
In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about gold karats, so you can shop with confidence and find a piece that fits your life and style.
Gold Purity
Gold in its purest form is quite soft, which makes it less practical for pieces that get worn often. To improve its strength and durability, it’s usually mixed with other metals like copper, silver, or nickel—an approach that also affects the colour and overall look of the piece.
This blend of metals is where karat comes in. Karat is a unit used to measure the proportion of pure gold within a given gold piece, where the proportions are based upon a total of 24 parts. For example, 24 karat gold is pure gold—24 parts gold out of 24. In comparison, 18 karat gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts alloy, making it 75% pure gold and 25% other metals.
24K Gold
24K gold is 100% pure gold, meaning it hasn't been mixed with any other metals. It has a rich, saturated yellow hue.
Because it’s not diluted with alloy metals, 24K gold is naturally soft and very malleable. This makes it easy to work with to shape into intricate designs, but at the same time, pretty delicate when it comes to everyday wear. Pure gold jewellery is hypoallergenic, and comes only in one hue and colour - the natural yellow colour of pure gold.
24K gold jewellery isn’t commonly seen in North American jewellery markets, but it’s widely seen in many East Asian cultures, where it’s associated with tradition, wealth, and prosperity.
18K Gold
18K gold contains 75% pure gold and 25% alloy metals. It still maintains a rich colour, but has improved durability over 24k gold.
This karat is a great balance between luxury and wearability. With this in mind, you’ll often see 18k gold in high value pieces, such as engagement rings and wedding bands, or special heirlooms.
For those who are sensitive to metals, 18K gold might be a better choice than lower karats, since there’s less alloy mixed in.
With a higher percentage of pure gold (75%), there's a reduced chance of skin irritation caused by alloy metals like nickel, which may be more prevalent in 10K or 14K gold.
14K Gold
14K gold is made of 58.5% pure gold and 41.7% alloy metals. It’s one of the most popular karat options in the U.S. and Canada. It offers a great mix of strength and beauty, and it’s tough enough to handle daily wear; it’s less likely to bend, which means more peace of mind. The colour is slightly lighter than 18K, but still warm and golden.
If you're looking for something that’s attractive, wearable, and built to last, 14K gold is a solid everyday choice.
10K Gold
10K gold is made of 41.7% pure gold and 58.3% alloy metals. It’s one of the most affordable gold options found on the fine jewellery market. Because it contains less pure gold, it has a lighter, more muted yellow colour than higher-karat versions.
How Karat Affects Gold Colour
In fine jewellery, you’ll often find pieces coming in three different gold colours - yellow, white, and rose.
These different colours are created by mixing pure gold with various metals, known as alloys. When it comes to the final colour of the gold piece, whether it be yellow, white, or rose, karats do play a role.
Yellow Gold
With yellow gold, as you go down the karat scale—22K, 18K, 14K, 10K—the yellow becomes more muted because of the higher mix of silver, copper, or zinc.
White Gold
White gold isn’t naturally white. It gets its colour from mixing gold with white coloured metals, like nickel, palladium, or zinc.
Higher-karat white gold (like 18K) can show a faint warm undertone. Lower karats (like 14K or 10K) tend to look cooler and whiter since they contain more of the alloy metals that cancel out the yellow.
As influential as the white gold’s colour may be in the piece, it’s often concealed beneath a layer of rhodium.
Most white gold pieces are plated with rhodium, which gives the white gold piece (of any karat) that bright, white, mirror like finish.
Rose Gold
Like with white gold, rose gold isn’t naturally pink. Rose gold gets its colour from mixing gold with copper. To fine-tune the final hue, other metals are sometimes also mixed in, like silver.
The higher the concentration of copper in a rose gold piece, the redder the hue.
What’s the Best Karat for You?
When shopping for a piece of gold jewellery, choosing the right karat depends on your lifestyle, budget, and aesthetic preferences.
If you’re looking for something that can handle daily wear, 14K or 10K gold is a great choice.
On the other hand, if you’d like something that has more value, 18k gold would be the option.
In addition to these, considering the colour you choose, the karat of your piece will definitely have an influence on its overall look. Higher karats tend to have warmer hues and more pronounced yellow undertones, whereas lower karats will have hues that are more influenced by the alloyed metals.
At our showroom in Calgary’s Market Mall, we carry a wide range of 10k, 14k, and 18k pieces in yellow, white, and rose gold. No matter your style or preference, our team is here to guide you toward a piece that feels just right, for today and for years to come.