18 Kt Gold

For many years, gold has remained at the top of the heap of precious metals. Gold just never went, and probably never will go, out of style. Gold is very beautiful, wearer-friendly and is so soft and malleable it can be worked into just about any shape.

The latter property, however, makes it virtually impossible to turn pure gold into chains, rings, necklace and other jewelry items. Jewelry pieces need strength and durability, and 24k gold, which, in the standard gold scale is the purest form of gold, is just not hard enough to create jewelry from.

This is why most, if not all gold jewelry are created from a combination of pure gold and other metals like silver, palladium, nickel, copper and zinc. But while these minerals strengthen the jewelry piece, they also lessen the value of the gold jewelry. The higher the pure gold content, the more expensive the piece is.

For those who want gold jewelry with high pure gold content but enough alloy to make it very strong and longer lasting, it is recommended that they get 18k gold jewelry such as 18ct gold rings and 18k gold earrings.

While 24k is pure gold, 18k gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts of another metal(s), making it 75% gold. Along with 14k gold, 18ct gold is much preferred in the United States because of its durability and its brighter yellow color and is recommended for fine jewelry. Jewelers mostly use 18kt gold for frames of engagement rings. Dentists are also known to often use 18 karat gold for dental crowns or fillings, which may be more expensive, but are regarded as better than porcelain and amalgam fillings because eighteen carat gold fillings last two to four times longer.

But as with most gold below 24k, 18 carat gold is prone to tarnishing, due to the fact that it is mixed with other metals. In some cases, 18 ct gold jewelry is also known to cause allergic reactions on sensitive skin. Still, solid 18k gold is worth a lot, even when it is scratched, dented, broken or gouged, because it is much closer to pure gold. Of course, an 18k gold bracelet, an 18ct gold ring, an 18k gold necklace, an 18ct gold chain, an 18ct gold wedding band or any other 18kt gold jewelry item will almost always be worth less than those made out of 24 karat gold, as gold prices are based on the purity of the metal, and 24 karat gold, as mentioned earlier, is purer than eighteen karat gold. The only times 18c gold is worth more than 24k gold are when the former is mixed with platinum, which is more expensive than gold, or when 18kt gold is used in art and jewelry whose price may also be dictated by factors other than gold purity, such as design and beauty.