22Kt Gold

Gold has always been a precious commodity since time immemorial. Possessed with a beauty and luster that is quite unmatched by other precious metals, gold has always been quite the attention drawer in a piece of jewelry. Its bright yellow luster has virtually captivated people from all walks of life for centuries.

The problem, however, with pure gold is its inherent softness and malleability. Sure, this characteristic is what makes gold quite popular not only for jewelry but also for industry. Pure gold is so malleable that an ounce of it can be stretched for miles without breaking easily. But for makers of jewelry, gold’s malleability can be a problem because a jewelry piece is less strong and durable if it is made up of only pure gold.

This is why jewelry craftsmen have devised a way of strengthening and hardening gold jewelry, which is to combine it with other metals or alloys. Silver, silver, palladium, nickel, copper and zinc are some of the most commonly used alloys for gold jewelry. These minerals strengthen the jewelry piece, but they also lessen its value. In the karat system of measuring gold purity, the higher the number, the higher the pure gold content, and the more expensive the piece becomes.

Of all the karat weights that are less than 24k pure gold, 22k gold has the highest pure gold content. A piece of 22 kt gold jewelry is a balance of 22 parts gold and 2 parts of some other metal or metals. All in all, 22 karat gold is 92% pure gold, just a few percentage points shy of 24k pure gold.

Unlike lower karats of gold, 22 carat gold jewellery retains a rich yellow luster that is nearly the same as that of 24k gold jewelry. It is also more expensive than other lower karat gold, as the pure gold content of 22 karat gold is much higher.

Making 22 carat gold jewelry was quite common in ancient times. Many of those ancient 22 carats gold jewelry, which were mostly created in India and Greece, are now displayed in museums, and many of which are now deemed “priceless”. In contrast, a 22 carat gold ring or a 22 carat gold chain crafted today is no longer necessarily “priceless”, but at the current 22 ct gold price, these items remain very expensive with their high pure gold content.

The thing with 22 ct gold is that since only 8 percent is made up of stronger metals, fine jewelry created from this type of gold is prone to breaking easily. People who buy and own 22 carat gold rings or any other 22 carat gold jewelry often find themselves stuck with damaged or broken gold jewelry that are still very valuable, but are no longer useful or functional.