What does gold carat mean?

9ct, 14ct, 18ct, you will hear these numbers mentioned a lot when speaking with jewellers, but what do they mean and what is the difference between them? By the end of this explanation, your knowledge of gold, particularly with regards to 9, 14 and 18ct will be much clearer and by assessing the purpose in which you require the gold, you will be able to select the carat of gold that will best suit your requirements and of course budget.

Carat is the amount of gold content in the metal. The carat measures the proportion of pure gold mixed with other metal alloy to make up the final metal. The gold carats commonly used in engagement and wedding rings are 9ct, 14ct and 18ct. The greater amount of pure gold used to manufacture the metal, the more valuable and expensive the metal will become.  For example, 9ct gold contains 37.5% pure gold, 14ct gold contains 58.5% pure gold and 18ct gold contains 75% pure gold. The remainder of the metals is made up of a combination of alloys and different metals which can help to give the metal its unique appearance, such as a different colour.

Gold jewellery is normally stamped with a marking to show the type of gold. The stamps only indicate the carat of metal and not the colour of the metal. So for example an 18ct yellow gold ring would have a stamp of 750 as would an 18ct white gold ring.

For example;

For 9ct gold, the stamp will normally be 375, 9ct, 9kt or 9K.

For 14ct gold the stamp will normally be 585, 14ct, 14kt or 14K.

For 18ct gold the stamp will normally be 750, 18ct, 18kt or 18K.

9ct, 14ct and 18ct gold are each relatively hard and durable metals and are suitable for use in all types of fine jewellery. Gold is also suitable to be used in jewellery that is worn on an everyday basis. When purchasing jewellery, many people consider the hardness and durability of the gold which is being used in their ring. Metal hardness is measured by what is called the Vickers scale where harder metals receive a higher Vickers score than less hard metals. 9ct has a Vickers hardness of 120 and 18ct has a Vickers hardness of 125. This shows 18ct as harder, but the difference is minimal.