Understanding gold purity: what does 18k gold mean? Decoding gold quality: a simple guide to carats in jewelry

Проба золота - это способ измерения чистоты золота в сплаве. Она измеряется в каратах или в десятичной форме, где 24-каратное золото считается абсолютно чистым. Давайте рассмотрим пример на английском языке для лучшего понимания.

Let's take an example of a gold sample with a specific gold fineness or karatage.

Suppose you have a gold piece that is labeled as 18-karat gold. In English, this is written as "18k gold" or "18 karat gold." This means that the gold alloy is composed of 18 parts pure gold and 6 parts of other metals (such as copper, silver, or palladium) per 24 parts total.

To calculate the actual gold content as a percentage, you can use the following formula:

Gold Content (%)=(Karatage24)×100\text{Gold Content (\%)} = \left( \frac{\text{Karatage}}{24} \right) \times 100Gold Content (%)=(24Karatage�)×100

For our example:

Gold Content (%)=(1824)×100=75%\text{Gold Content (\%)} = \left( \frac{18}{24} \right) \times 100 = 75\%Gold Content (%)=(2418�)×100=75%

So, in this case, the 18-karat gold piece contains 75% pure gold and 25% other metals. This indicates that the gold is alloyed with 25% of additional metals to enhance its durability and alter its color.

It's important to note that the higher the karatage, the higher the gold content and, consequently, the more valuable the piece is considered in terms of gold purity. However, higher karat gold is also generally softer, so jewelry made from it may be more susceptible to scratches and wear.