Concerned about karats? Let us explain.
Not to be confused with carat, which is the measurement of diamond weight, karat is the measurement of gold purity. In short, the karat system measures the ratio of pure gold to other alloys in a piece of gold jewelry. But let’s back up.
Pure gold has a karat measurement of 24, making it 24-karat (24k) gold. Pure gold is a soft and malleable metal, which means even the warmth of your body heat can cause it to bend out of shape, and the slightest abrasion could result in a scratch. When discussing the global gold price, this is based on the price of one ounce of pure gold. So, while 24k makes for a great gold bar, it doesn’t work as well for jewelry—especially if you plan to wear it every day.
In order to make gold jewelry resilient enough for regular wear, pure gold must be mixed with other metals, like silver, copper, nickel, and zinc. That means the gold purity has been diluted and the ratio changes, which results in 18k, 14k, and 10k gold.
So, how do we choose which karat to care about? At Oremme, we want all our pieces to be luxurious and durable enough to last a lifetime. Because of that, we only use 14k gold. 14k has a beautiful pale hue, is strong enough to withstand daily wear, and allows us to keep prices accessible. More karat questions? Email us at hello@oremme.com.