Carats and Karats are both measurement units. In the world of jewelry, they might have the same pronunciation but their meanings are different. One measures weight and the other is used for purity.
Karat signifies the purity of the metal. Karat is used especially in the gold market; its measurement unit range from 1 to 24. The purity is rated from low to high, with 1 being the lowest and 24 being the highest.
999.999% is the highest form of purity but usually, mints produce .999 or .9999 in fineness. Gold in its purest form is a soft metal, to make it more resistant, other metals are mixed with gold which drops the purity of gold.
Rose gold and white gold are some of the alloys that are made to change the look of gold or hardness or whatever other properties one might desire. Rose gold is usually 18 karat, 75% gold, and 25% copper, this gives it a reddish hue and is very popular in the jewelry world. 22 karat gold contains 91.6% pure gold with the remaining percentage being other metals that are mixed in gold to provide strength and hardness to the alloy. Anything that has less than 10k of gold is not considered gold.
Carat is a measurement unit used primarily in the jewelry industry for diamonds or gemstones. 1 unit of a carat is 200 milligrams. In the past carob seeds had been used to measure precious stones but there were weight discrepancies. Later in the years, the carat was adopted. 1 carat diamond will be .2 grams, similarly 5 carat diamond will be 1 gram.
In the jewelry world, it is common to find 1-carat diamond to be fitted on an 18k ring. The price of the diamond or gemstone is not just based on weight. There are other factors involved as well for example in diamonds there are the four Cs: Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat weight. In diamonds, a good combination of all these products drives the price up.
Instant Gold Refining we keep 24k pure gold bullion from a variety of different reputable mints. From Royal Canadian Mint, The Royal Mint, Valcambi, Perth Mint, PAMP, and a few more, we keep them all. We have been located in the gold and silver market of Vancouver for nearly 15 years. Give us a call and we help you out with all your gold and silver needs.
