20/07/2018
Gold Purity
There are 2 common ways that the purity of gold jewellery is stamped on a piece. Either by stating its purity in carats e.g. 9k, 9ct, 18. Or stamping the purity in parts per thousand e.g. 375, 750 etc. Occasionally a jeweller gets enthusiastic and puts both types of stamps on the same piece!
So what does this mean for you and why should you care?
Well, in part, what you pay for a piece is determined by how much gold is in it. And if the time ever comes for you to recycle it, unless it is a rare item, the money you receive for an item may be wholly determined by the gold content. So its worth having a basic understanding of what these stamps mean.
Carats - for gold, is a measure of purity, 24 carat being pure gold. Other stamps indicate how many parts in 24 are gold. For example 9ct is 9/24ths gold or 37.5%. 18ct is 18/24ths gold or 75%.
Parts per 1000 are exactly that - 375 is 375/1000 or 37.5% or, as you now know 9ct.
So if your 9ct gold is actually only 37.5% gold what's the rest? You'll have to wait for the next post😊
