Not All Gold Is Created EQUAL

Understanding the Differences Between Colors & Alloys

- BY MARK FARRELL

Jewelers and designers can get gold in many forms, such as bar stock, sheet, wire and casting grain.

Gold has long been revered for its beauty, rarity and versatility. Throughout history, it has symbolized wealth and served as currency, but in the realm of jewelry making, gold is more than just a precious metal—it’s a science. Over the years, jewelers have learned to manipulate gold’s inherent properties to suit specific needs. Here are the different types of gold alloys, how they're used and the important factors to consider when working with gold in your jewelry creations.

Gold in its natural form is a soft, yellow metal that’s easy to shape and manipulate. However, as beautiful as pure gold is, it’s not practical for most jewelry applications because it lacks the durability needed for everyday wear. To overcome this, gold is often alloyed with other metals, which enhances its strength and other useful properties.

KARAT: UNDERSTANDING GOLD PURITY

What is karat? Karat is a measure of gold purity, referring to how much of the metal in an alloy is pure 24k gold. Unlike other precious metals such as silver or platinum, gold has a variety of acceptable purities, with six legal purities in the U.S. and eight worldwide. The higher the karat, the more gold is present in the alloy, and the softer and more malleable the metal will be. On the other hand, lower-karat gold alloys contain a higher percentage of other metals, making the metal harder and more rigid.

When discussing karat, it helps to visualize it using a pie chart with 24 total parts of pure gold and each segment corresponding to one karat. The total 24-karat gold is divided into 24 equal parts, each part being one karat.