

The main disadvantage of 10K gold is if you’re allergic to copper, silver, nickel, zinc, or iron, it’s possible for your skin to irritate if you wear a 10K gold ring for a long period of time. It’s very difficult to scratch, scuff or bend jewelry made from 10K gold. The biggest advantages of 10K gold are its cost and durability. Since it has the lowest gold content of any type of gold, 10K gold is also highly durable. Aesthetically, 10K gold has a pale appearance, with a significantly less rich yellow tone than 14K.

Although it’s widely used in earrings and affordable jewelry, 10K gold isn’t a very popular metal for engagement rings and fine jewelry. 10K gold is the least pure, least expensive and most durable form of gold used in jewelry. Its color is slightly less saturated and intense than 18 karat gold, making it an excellent choice if you want gold jewelry that’s rich and attractive but not overly yellow.Ībout 90% of all engagement and wedding rings are made from 14K gold.Īdvantages: Very affordable, more durable than other types of gold.ĭisadvantages: Pale yellow color, more likely to trigger metal allergies.ġ0 karat gold is made up of 10 out of 24 parts gold. 14K gold has a rich color, with the classic gold appearance that most customers look for in rings and other jewelry. 14K gold is the most popular gold for rings and other wearable jewelry in the United States. White gold can also be covered in a layer of bright white rhodium for an even more brilliant hue.Īdvantages: A great mix of purity, durability and value for money.ĭisadvantages: More expensive than 10K gold, but still fairly affordable.ġ4 karat gold is made up of 14 out of 24 parts gold. Bright white alloys, like zinc and nickel, make white gold. An alloy with a high copper percentage creates rose gold. Natural gold is always yellow gold, but jewelers can create different colors by changing the type of alloyed metals. The most common alloyed metals include copper, zinc, nickel, and silver. The lowest karat number you can sell in the United States is 10k gold since it is only 10 of 24 parts, or 42% gold. The higher the karat number, the more gold a piece has.

So 24k gold is pure gold because it contains 24 of 24 parts. The karat system tells you how much gold a piece has based on 24 parts. All gold has a karat number that indicates its gold content.
