Choosing a purity: 22K, 18K or 14K

There is a persistent belief that higher-karat gold is better gold. It is purer, certainly. Whether it is better depends entirely on what you are going to do with it.

What the number means

Karat is parts gold in twenty-four. 24K is pure. 22K is 22 parts gold and 2 parts other metals; 18K is 18 and 6; 14K is 14 and 10. The remainder is usually copper, silver, zinc or palladium, and it is doing real work: pure gold is soft enough to deform under a thumbnail.

22K

Deep, warm, unmistakably yellow — the colour most people picture when they think of gold. Traditional across South Asia and the Middle East, and the standard for pieces bought partly as a store of value: the metal content is high and it holds resale value well.

It is soft. A 22K bangle worn daily will pick up dents and scratches. That is a property, not a defect, and for many buyers it is an acceptable trade for the colour and the gold content.

Best for: ceremonial pieces, chains, bangles, anything bought with an eye on the metal value.
Poor for: claw-set stones. Soft claws move, and stones fall out.

18K

The international standard for fine jewellery, and the sensible default for anything holding a valuable stone. Still visibly rich in colour, considerably harder than 22K, and takes a high polish.

Alloys give it range: copper for rose, palladium or nickel plus rhodium plating for white. If you want a coloured gold, 18K is where the options are.

Best for: engagement rings, everyday rings, anything with stones.
Watch for: white gold is plated. Expect to re-plate every few years.

14K

Harder still, noticeably paler, and meaningfully cheaper — a 14K piece contains a little over half the gold of a 24K piece of the same weight.

Good for pieces that take punishment: a signet ring worn on a working hand, a chain for a child, anything that will be knocked about. Some people simply prefer the cooler tone.

Best for: hard-wearing everyday pieces, larger designs where 18K would be prohibitive.
Less good for: resale, where the lower gold content shows.

And platinum

Not gold at all. Denser, naturally white without plating, and hypoallergenic. When scratched, platinum displaces rather than losing metal, so it develops a patina instead of wearing thin — which is why it is favoured for pieces intended to last a lifetime.

It is heavier, so the same design costs more in material even at a similar per-gram rate.

Choosing

Buying largely for the gold? 22K. Setting a stone you care about? 18K or platinum. Something that will be worn hard and knocked about? 14K. Want white metal without maintenance? Platinum.

Every purity on this site is priced live against the fine metal rate scaled to its actual gold content, so you can compare like with like — change the purity on a product page and watch the number move.