Karats: 14K vs. 18K

Gold is most often classified by a numerical value followed by ‘k’, for karat. Karatage is a value assigned to any mass of gold, and it depends on how many parts of pure gold are mixed with alloys to create 24 parts total. The most common annotations are 14K and 18K, and below are the differences between the two.

The most popular karat is 14K, which denotes that the material is 14 parts pure gold, 10 parts other alloys. These other alloys are most often silver and copper, added in different amounts to create a more or less yellow gold color. In most cases, 14k gold pieces are approximately 58% pure gold, 30% silver, and 12% copper.

Every DIΛMÍND piece is made with 18k solid gold means that the ratio of pure gold to alloys is higher; 18 parts of pure gold to 6 parts of other alloys. This means that our pieces contain more pure gold than most pieces sold on the market with 14k standards. In most cases, 18k is 75% pure gold, 15% silver, and 10% copper. Because 18k pieces are majority pure gold, they tend to be a bit darker in color and pricier as well.