Excuse Me, But What's a Karat?

A few days ago, we were called by Mika, a young and lively grandmother, who wanted to buy earrings for her granddaughters, twins age three.
After we chose together some heart shaped earrings with a decoration of a flower (which you can see here), she suddenly asked “Excuse me, but what is actually a Karat?”
An excellent question, and we’re happy to tell you that our gold jewelry is solid 14 Karat.
But what does this number represent?
So let’s start by running a few thousand years back, where there is evidence of gold being used 2,600 BC.
Man discovered gold and put it to good use already in prehistoric days because of its unique characteristics. To put it plainly: gold is a base element with particular characteristics.
First of all, it’s rather solitary, and doesn’t like to amalgamate with other elements - a bit of a snob, no?
But this characteristic is a positive one as it means gold doesn’t tarnish - it never rusts and is somewhat soft.
Therefore, apart from stylish jewelry it’s possible to make a lot of things with in in the fields of technology and industry.

But What about the Karat?

Karat is essentially a means of describing how pure the gold is in relation to other metals mixed in.
The calculation is simple: you take the mass of pure gold and divide it by the share of other metals, and the result is the karat.
If the result is 24, then the gold is 99.9% pure.
Karat is measured in steps of two, where the purest level is 24 and the lowest is 4.
Jewelry on which is stamped ‘14K’ and the number 585 testify to the fact the jewelry is made up of 58% pure gold.
Why do we need this unit of measurement? In order to know how to price gold. Manufacturers by gold by the gram (or ounce), and the karat number helps in pricing a chunk of gold.
But we the consumers should also know what these numbers mean, and if we wish to buy a quality item of jewelry that is more than half gold, we’ll look for the number 14 on the hallmark of the item.

So what does it matter if the earrings in my ears are made of real gold or not?

Because of its unique characteristics (not ever rusting or tarnishing), you can wear earrings or necklaces from real and never have to take them off, not even in the shower or the sea, and the jewelry will always be shiny.
Not only that, but those with a tendency to allergic reaction or sensitive skin can develop redness In the ear lobes if they wear jewelry made from cheap metals or gold jewelry where the amount of gold is relatively low.

To Finish, Some Tips

How will we know if the jewerly we wish to buy meets the standards and has a high percentage of gold?
It’s possible to check scientifically including acid and a stone to rub, but if you’re not into lab experiments you can just put the necklace or earrings close to a magnet - solid gold jewelry is not magenetic.
If you feel a movement of the jewelry towards the magnet, then it’s a sign that it’s made from another metal and is just gold plated.
In any case, always look for the hallmark.

Want to know more? Get in touch