What is 14k, 18k and 22k Gold?
Pure gold is too soft to wear in its purest state, so jewelers alloy gold with other metals to play with the colour and to give the metal hardness and durability.
I most often create rings in 14k gold. I find this gives wedding and engagement rings a beautiful hardness with only surface hair like scratching over years. Tough as nails! This purity is 58.33% gold, 42% other alloys, and has a lovely flaxen colour.
18k gold is a brighter yellow
This has 75% gold purity and is lovey for wedding and engagement rings as well, however, due to the fact that it’s a little softer than 14k gold it will have surface scratching over the years. These can easily be sanded and polished out by your jeweller every couple years.
Some of my 18k gold rings I purposely put a rustic finish on the exterior. Any new scratching only adds to the beauty of the piece. Etching your story into your wedding ring like rocks tumbling in a river, ever changing the shape.
22k gold is yellow like the sun
This gold is 91.67% gold purity. This is most commonly used in jewelry in Asia and the Middle East. I love using 22k gold as design on top of my outrageous silver and gold statement pendants. It offers such a stunning contrast with the antiqued silver and has been a signature look of my work for over 20 years. Old world meets new world. 22k gold, in my opinion, is too soft for a wedding, engagement or everyday ring. The. Ring will lose it’s rounded shape over time and will be prone to deep scratching. If you desire a 22k gold ring keep the finish will always be rustic, which is beautiful in itself.
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I have a necklace made in India that has 22k stamped on the clasp. It also has stamped on a connecting flat 916. The local jeweler here is baffled and doesn’t have any knowledge of the numbers. The necklace is bright white as is the clasp and has a yellow plating on the many little beads. Can you tell me if white gold can be 22k or what I have is not genuine. The jeweler did do a scratch or grind and chemical test and it confirmed it was real but he wouldn’t buy it as scrap. It weighed 4.4 pennyweights
Hi Philip,
Unfortunately I’m unable to help you, you need to have your piece of jewellery properly tested. Yellow gold could be plated white, which as you said you had a scratch test done. If you live in Vancouver I’m happy to send you locally where you can have your piece tested again and purchased. I do not purchase scrap gold.