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Fineness of Gold: 10k, 12k, 14k, 18k and How To Tell If Gold Is Real

By Ginny • July 29, 2017 • Gold Guides, Ultimate Guides

This post is the first in my in-depth 5-part series on gold, which will teach you vital information to never be cheated by unscrupulous gold sellers and get the exact piece you want at a fair price. In this guide, you will learn what is pure gold and solid gold, the different gold grades, and how to tell if something is real gold.

WHAT IS PURE GOLD? HOW MANY KARATS IS PURE GOLD?

Fineness of Gold: 10k, 12k, 14k, 18k and How To Tell If Gold Is Real

Gold purity is measured by karat, which is an unit of purity. The maximum karat for gold is 24 karat. Therefore, pure gold is 24 karats, or 24k gold. However, you will hardly find 24k pure gold in jewelry. As pure gold is too soft, jewellers usually mix gold with a metal like copper or silver to make a gold alloy of lower karat such as 18k or 14k gold.

GOLD PURITY MEASURE

The most common gold grades are 18k, 14k, 12k and 10k gold. Their number indicates the percentage of gold in the grade; the higher the number, the more gold it has. An 18k gold piece is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals, a 14k gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals, so on and so forth.

The value should goes up with the number, so a 10K gold item is much less valuable than an 18K gold item of the same design.

Different gold grade 10k, 14k, 18k

Different gold grade 10k, 12k, 14k, 18k explained

  • 18k is 75% (=18/24) pure gold 
  • 14k is 58.3% (=14/24) pure gold* 

—> 18k & 14k gold is ideal for fine jewelry.

  • 12k is 50% (=12/24) pure gold  
  • 10k is 41.7% (=10/24) pure gold^

—> 12k & 10k gold is not acceptable for fine jewelry.

Note:

*14k gold is the gold grade most frequently used in jewelry making.

^10k is the minimum karat limit to be legally considered as real gold in the US.

PURE GOLD VS SOLID GOLD

Many people commonly mistake “solid gold” to mean pure gold. However, the term “solid gold” only means the piece of jewelry is made entirely with minimum 10k gold and is not hollow or “filled” with any other metal. A 10k solid gold piece is far from being as valuable as a 24k pure solid gold piece of the same build.

Unscrupulous sellers often try to pass off a piece of low purity gold at ridiculous price by muddling up “solid gold” with “pure gold” or “high quality gold” (Like this top search result or this– notice how they dance around the definition of solid gold and jumble it up with mentions of gold grades and purity). Be aware – it’s true that solid gold is far more valuable than gold filled or hollow gold, but the accurate value must be estimated using information about its karat or percentage of pure gold too.

>> Differences between solid gold, gold-plated and gold filled

CARAT VS KARAT

Sometimes you will see questions such as “how many carats is pure gold?” It can be a little confusing, because the British and Australian spells “karat” as “carat”. On the other hand, carat is also an unit equal to 200 milligram, used for measuring gemstones and pearls. Therefore, if you are in the US, stick with “karat” for gold.

HOW TO TELL IF GOLD IS REAL?

How to tell if gold is real

Rule-out tests

These following tests will determine if the item is not real gold, or not solid gold. Further tests are needed to determine if it’s real and solid.

    1. Magnetic test: Use a strong magnet and hold it up to the item. If it attracts the magnet, it’s fake or plated.

    2. Stamp test:  Gold jewelry is often stamped with jewelry hallmarks that indicates its fineness. If it says “HGP” – Heavy Gold Plate, “HEG” Heavy Electroplated Gold or “GF” – Gold Filled, it is not real gold.

    3. Ceramic plate test*: On an unglazed ceramic plate, drag your item across its surface. A black streak means your gold is not real.

Definitive test

    1. Acid test*: If you need to tell whether gold is real and true to their purity marking (10k, 14k, 18k etc.) you can purchase this acid testing kit.

Follow the instruction manual. This video illustrates how to use the kit step-by-step:

Due to the safety risk of handling acid, it may be best to leave this test to a jeweler.

*Important note: This gold test can ruin your gold jewelry, so consider taking your jewelry to a professional jeweller if you are concerned about potential damages.

SHOP OUR RANGE OF 18K GOLD PLATED JEWELRY:

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Handwriting Disc Necklace with Charm
– Signature Bangle – Handwriting Cuff Wide Band – Stackable Name Ring

In my next post, I will explain how the different colors of gold such as white gold, rose gold or green gold are formed and whether one is more valuable than the other. If you are buying gold and have any other question, just leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to answer them.

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How To Tell If Silver Is Real
Colors of Gold: White Gold, Rose Gold, Pink Gold and Green Gold

About the Author

Ginny

Hello, it's Ginny. I am a mother of two beautiful kids and I love to do craftwork in my spare time. I started Centime out of a dream to create handmade gifts with a timeless appeal and personal touch. With this blog, I wish to impart my knowledge from years as a jeweler so that you can pick out gifts of everlasting love.

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8 Comments

  • Reply How To Tell If Silver Is Real | Centime Blog August 7, 2017 at 3:06 am

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  • Reply Colors of Gold: White Gold, Rose Gold, Pink Gold and Green Gold | Centime Blog August 14, 2017 at 3:47 am

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  • Reply Does Gold Turn Green? | Centime Blog September 20, 2017 at 9:18 am

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  • Reply Trudy C Currin June 1, 2018 at 3:54 pm

    I puchased a ring that has -30 14k rgp and stamped c&c .could you tell me what this means. Thank you

  • Reply G Testing April 27, 2021 at 3:50 pm

    This is very informative blog post. I thought the video was great.

    • Reply Ginny May 25, 2021 at 2:20 am

      Thank you so much!

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Hi, I’m Ginny. I run Centime.

Hi, I’m Ginny. I run Centime.
Hi, I'm Ginny. Welcome to Centime's blog. I started Centime because I was sick of generic, branded gifts with no soul. As I have always loved to make my own jewelry and gifts, I dreamed of creating handmade gifts with a timeless appeal and personal touch. Centime was born out of that dream, and I am grateful to be living my dream everyday. All the posts in this blog were written by me, using years of experience as a jeweler so that you can pick out the perfect gifts that are not just gifts but symbols of everlasting love. Love for keeps, we call them. My colleagues and I also occasionally post inspirations and customer stories that touch our heart. We will also keep you updated of any changes going on in our store. I hope you enjoy this blog, and keep loving <3
Ginny of Centime

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