Differences Between 10k vs 14k vs 18k Gold (Karat)
When you are shopping for fine jewelry or engagement rings, you will often come across the terms 10k gold, 14k gold, 18k gold or even 24k gold.
So, what do they mean and why should it matter to you?
In this article, we will address some of the differences between karat values and common misconceptions people have about white/yellow gold settings.
We will also perform indepth comparisons between 10k vs 14k and 14k vs 18k gold. By the end of the article, you will also find out which is the best type of metal to buy based on your needs.
Let’s dive in…
Let’s Break Down the Purity Differences in 10k, 14k, 18k and 24k Gold
Karat is a term used to describe the purity content of gold in a piece of jewelry. One of the most common mistakes people make is to confuse karat (gold purity) with carat (diamond weight).
Just remember this; one is spelled with a “k” and the other with a “c”.
In the industry, the following gold karat chart is universally used and understood. It represents the fineness of precious metal content (expressed in parts-per-thousand).
| Karat | Gold Purity | Fineness |
|---|---|---|
| 24k | 100% | 999 |
| 22k | 91.6% | 917 |
| 18k | 75.0% | 750 |
| 14k | 58.3% | 583 |
| 10k | 41.7% | 417 |
Karat Gold Purity Reference Table
What is 24 Karat (24k) Gold?
Pure gold (100%), is sometimes referred to as 24 karat or 24k. It is free from other impurities and is a highly valued metal. Even though 24k gold doesn’t degrade or tarnish, it is very soft and malleable.
As a result, it is unsuitable for usage in many jewelry applications. After all, you don’t want to see an expensive diamond ring deform or severely scratched after wearing it only a couple of times.
Apart from traditional Chinese wedding jewelry or collectible gold bars that are very popular in the Asian markets, you will hardly see them being sold in other parts of the world.
The solution to making long lasting gold jewelry is to alloy it with other metals like silver, zinc, nickel (increase hardness), copper (to change its color). The percentage of alloying metals is reflected by the karat level and the most popular grades used are: 14k and 18k.
What is 18 Karat (18k) Gold?
18 karat (18k or 18kt ) gold consists of 75% gold and 25% alloy. In its raw form, 18k gold has a richer yellow tone compared to 14k due to the higher gold content. Although 18k gold is relatively softer than 14k gold, it is suitable for use in jewelry with proper care and some common sense.
Comparison of the same ring setting in 18 karat (left) vs 14 karat (right) gold.
The main difference between 18k vs 14k yellow gold is in price. In terms of physical appearance, 18kt yellow gold may appear with a more saturated hue compared to 14kt yellow gold.
What is 14 Karat (14k) Gold?
Is It Karat Or Carat?
Many consumers often get the terms mixed up because of pronunciation and spelling mistakes. It’s amusing at times because the terms “carrot” and “carot” also get thrown in for confusion.
Karat (denoted as k or kt) is the indication of how pure a piece of gold jewelry is. The higher the karat number, the higher the composition of gold in it. The highest karat value is 24k which indicates a 99.99% (or 100%) gold purity.
Carat is a unit of weight measurement for gemstones. 1 carat is equivalent to 0.2 grams.
Carrot is a root vegetable. It has nothing to do with jewelry.
14 karat (14k or 14kt) gold consists of 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy. In essence, the chemical composition is made up of 14 parts gold and 10 parts alloy. It is hardy and able to withstand moderate abuse during wear.
What is 10 Karat (10k) Gold?
10 karat (10k or 10kt) gold consists of 41.7% gold and 58.3% alloy. Interestingly, I find it funny that people label 10k as gold when the make up of gold is less than half the entire composition.
Because of the higher composition of alloys, 10k yellow gold jewelry is more susceptible to tarnishing compared to higher karat grades. This is one of the reasons why jewelers with stricter quality standards won’t use 10 karat gold or lower grades.
In terms of pricing, the discount you get with 10k gold is minimal when compared to 14k gold. However, the overall quality of the ring does take a significant hit when you go to lower karat grades.
How Karat Ratings Affect Pricing And Worth
As you probably know, gold is traded as a commodity around the world. The price of a gold setting is largely determined by the current market value of gold. Obviously, the higher the gold purity used, the more expensive the piece of jewelry is going to be worth.
10k vs 14k Gold – What Are the Differences and Which is Better?
From a technical point of view, the differences between 10k vs 14k gold lies in their ratio of gold purity. Here’s a little trivia: 10k gold is 41.7% gold and this is the lowest ratio for a metal to be considered “gold” in the US.
As a consumer, you will probably be more interested about the practical differences between these 2 metals. Obviously, 10kt is going to cost less than 14kt as the alloying metals used are generally cheaper.
If you have owned gold jewelry before or have a keen eye, you might notice that 10k pieces look a tad paler compared to 14k. This is due to the lesser gold content used in 10k. On this note, I also want to point out that 10k jewelry are more likely to cause skin irritation to people with a nickel allergy.
The other key difference between 10 karat and 14 karat gold is their usage in jewelry manufacturing. If you are buying fine jewelry or a diamond ring, the lowest karat metal that most businesses offer for their settings would be 14kt. On the other hand, 10kt gold is usually used in less prestigious jewelry pieces.
14k vs 18k Gold – What Are the Differences and Which is Better?
There are 2 school of thoughts between consumers when choosing between 18k and 14k gold.
There are jewelry businesses (think of the big brands) and elites who feel that 18k gold is more “prestigious” than 14k gold because of the higher gold content. To these groups of people, any grade lower than 18k gold would be frowned upon as “cheap”.
Having higher gold content means the wedding ring or jewelry item is going to cost much more. Besides being more expensive, 18 karat white/yellow gold is also softer than 14 karat gold. This means it is more susceptible to wear and tear.
Personally, I belong to the other camp of people who think 14k is better. This is because I don’t get bothered by social stigmas and I value practicality over what others think. The truth is, most people will never be able to tell 14k jewelry apart from 18k gold jewelry.
One of the downsides of 14k and 18k gold is that a small group of people may be allergic to the alloy materials. Nickel, a metal used to strengthen the material, can cause allergies or skin irritations (like red rashes).
The other downside of adding a higher composition of alloys is that the jewelry piece is more vulnerable to tarnishing overtime. This affects both types of 14k and 18k gold. The severity of tarnishing also depends on body chemistry and the environment the jewelry is worn in.
That said, don’t let this information turn you off from 14 karat and 18 karat gold. The benefits far outweigh the cons of using 14k or 18k gold for your wedding band or engagement ring.
Where to Buy High Quality Gold Jewelry?
Now that you have a better understanding of the various types of gold, it’s time to go shopping. In my opinion, the best places to buy high quality gold wedding rings and diamond jewelry are online retailers like James Allen and Blue Nile.
Both vendors offer huge selections of setting designs to choose from and showcase great craftsmanship on their finished rings. More importantly, the shopping process is convenient and the prices are very competitive.
Here’s a screenshot to show you what you can expect on James Allen’s website.
With video technology, you can see exactly what you are buying!
If you are shopping for an diamond engagement ring, James Allen is one of the best places to start browsing for diamonds. The 360° HD videos in every of their listings enable you to scrutinize diamonds in every angle!
Try them out for yourself and you’ll be amazed at how intuitive the interface is!
What’s the Best Type of Gold to Buy?
The differences between 10k vs 14k vs 18k are very hard to see with the naked eye and most people simply can’t tell them apart. Ultimately, the best type of gold to buy boils down to your personal needs and preferences.
All of them make are great options for engagement ring but my personal pick would be 14kt as it offers an good balance of cost versus usability. And if you can afford the budget, 18kt is an option that offers a little more luxury.
So, which type of metals do you like the most?
Feel free to leave a comment below to let us know why. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Lastly, if you have any further questions on the different types of ring metals, you can also drop them below and I’ll help you out in a jiffy.
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27 Comments
I think it would be useful for you to do a comparison between white gold vs yellow gold and rose gold vs yellow gold. For a consumer like me, I’m still not sure which is better.
Thanks! You can find out the differences of white gold vs yellow gold in this webpage. The main difference lies in its color. White gold has rhodium which makes it very white color in appearance. Most modern jewelry utilizes 14 karat or 18 karat white gold.
As for rose gold vs yellow gold, the main difference is also in color. One is pinkish red while the other is yellowish. In terms of physical properties, they are roughly the same. Rose gold is a little tougher because of the Cu content.
Does 14k gold value increase or decrease overtime? Also, when we compare 10k vs 14k gold, would it be easier to sell one or the other?
It depends. I’m no economist who can predict future market trends in the world. As of now, gold is slowly increasing in value because of Brexit. It may take the next stock market crash to significantly increase the value of 14k gold or a boom in the economy to decrease what’s it is worth.
To answer your 2nd question, it’s easier to sell 14kt gold compared it to 10kt gold. It’s worth more as well.
What are your thoughts on this 10k white gold wedding band? Is 10k gold good enough?
http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/Beverly-Hills-Charm-10k-Gold-0.06-ct-TDW-Diamond-Stackable-Ring-H-I-I2-3/9061121/product.html
The melee quality is atrocious and 10k isn’t recommended for fine jewelry. The quality is so terrible, I wouldn’t even considering touching this piece of junk with a stick.
What’s the highest karat gold that’s possible? I know many types of bullion claim to sell 99.999% purity but is it possible to go up to 100%? If it isn’t, why not?
The highest karat gold is 24k. This is largely due to the refining process as it isn’t possible to maintain a purity of 100% due to impurities or even micro level oxidation. So, to give the mints some wriggle room, the standard is set at 99.99%.
How many carats is pure gold? I’m considering buying a gold chain and am thinking about the differences between 10k gold vs 14k gold. Which would you recommend for a piece of daily wear jewelry.
I believe you mean “karats” and not “carats”. Pure Au is 24 karats. It is too soft for daily wear. Between 10k and 14k, I would recommend buying 14 karat jewelry as it is the minimum standards for gold jewelry in my opinion.
I’m considering an engagement ring from Tiffany. Is 18k gold good enough or is platinum better? The 18k gold ring price is slightly cheaper than platinum by 1k.
If you shop at Tiffany, you are already overpaying for brand premiums. As to which is better, 18k gold is good enough for me and I don’t see a need to go to platinum unless you like the denser weight or you are allergic to nickel. Also, as far as I know, most of Tiffany’s setting material is made of platinum. So, you want to double check details prior to purchasing.
I have a 10k gold ring that was passed down to me by my parents and I want to sell it. I know the Au content is low but I want to know how much a 10 karat diamond ring is and where I can find a buyer for it.
You can estimate the value of 10 karat Au here: http://www.livepriceofgold.com/australia-gold-price-per-gram.html
In your opinion, how much is a 14k gold ring with diamonds worth if I were to buy it from a wholesaler? The design of the ring is identical to the Tiffany Soleste and has a EGL graded cushion cut diamond in it. The 18k vs 14k yellow gold ring of the same design is only a difference of $280 and I’m not sure whether it is worth it to upgrade to a better specification.
Well, it’s anybody guess. It’s hard to say how much the piece is worth with vague information. What I can say with certainty is that an EGL diamond is a sure fire way for you to get ripped off and overpay.
EGL is notorious for unreliable grading so much so that they got into trouble with the trading networks. It’s no wonder they have shut down now.
As for the differences between 14k vs 18k yellow gold rings, it is more of a psychological factor. In reality, both metals are very much alike.
My advice, avoid the ring completely. EGL benefits the jeweler and does not protect the interest of consumers.
I know you advised against 10k white gold engagement rings. However, I’m trying to find a 10k gold men’s wedding band that’s durable and has milgrain corners to match my fiancee’s band that I had already purchased. Any recommendations?
Go back to the jeweler where you bought your wife’s ring from. They should be able to match the design. Most jewelers who actually deal in 10k products don’t offer quality that matches the standards I expect. That’s why I am hesitant to make recommendations.
What is your opinion on Vera Wang engagement rings? I’m looking for a pear shape diamond ring and they seem to have nice looking designs.
Thank you :) Excellent website by the way!
Somewhat unique ring designs at exorbitant price points. The main problem lies in the limited selection of center stones in which cut quality is generally mediocre by my standards. Also, you should read this write up I did on pear diamond settings to get some ideas on what’s available and where they can be found.
That’s really interesting how different metals are mixed together to make different colors of gold. I’m planning on proposing to my girlfriend later this month, so I’m getting ready to pick out a ring. I figured I should do some research before I start.
Thanks for the article! While the vast majority of white gold rings are rhodium plated to get that finished white look, there are jewelers that use different alloys in their white gold (I’m guessing a higher % of palladium) to get white color without the need for rhodium plating. The ring has a slightly different look to rhodium-plated white gold (less bright) so it might not be everyone’s taste, but personally I think it looks great.
I didn’t like the thought of rhodium plating because it feels like you’re paying a lot for gold, and then covering it with another metal (even if rhodium is very expensive..). I also didn’t like the thought of having to re-plate the rhodium every few years.
Thanks for your comment. I guess different people would have different tastes. In your case, you might want to consider platinum as it should give a better finishing to what you are looking for and saves you hassle of maintaining a WG ring.
I have chosen an 18 K eternity ring with diamonds and it is in white gold. Now i feel i am sorry i did because you say 14 K is better, especially for white gold. Will it look bad overtime?
In terms of the color that white color would turn yellowish overtime, it really depends on a mixture of factors like how well the rhodium plating was done, your body chemistry, how much you abuse the ring during wear and etc… 14k is better in my opinion mainly because of practical reasons. I don’t see any reasons why you would get worried or upset having bought 18k white gold. Don’t worry too much and enjoy the ring!
I have a man’s ring with the Jesus cross and a ship’s wheel on it and inside the ring it says 16k. Why isn’t there any information on 16k?
16k is not a common gold material that is used in the industry. It is 66.7% gold and is used in vintage jewelry.