When buying and selling gold jewellery, it is important to do your research, as there are different types of gold and carats which define the purity and value of your jewellery.
While the look and feel of gold jewellery might usually determine how appealing the item is, the actual value of the piece is dependant on the carat, weight, and type of gold.
To help you get across this, we’ve put together a quick guide explaining the different gold colours, along with the purity of different carats of gold.
Gold Colours
Yellow Gold
The most common and original gold colour, yellow gold is the most pure type of gold, and is usually mixed with silver, platinum and palladium.
While pure gold is yellow, the reason it is mixed with other metal alloys (such as silver), is to strengthen the gold, as it is too soft to be used in jewellery on its own.
White Gold
The most commonly gold alloy used in jewellery, white gold is more affordable than yellow gold, and is also tougher and more scratch resistant.
Due to this, white gold jewellery is generally easier and quicker to resize and service compared to other gold colours.
Rose Gold
The most affordable gold colour, rose gold is made with copper, which results in its pink gold appearance. Just how ‘rose’ or pink the gold looks depends on how much copper is mixed in the alloy.
Rose gold has become a highly popular colour of gold, not only in jewellery but also in high end fashion such as shoes, sandals and purses.
Green Gold
Although green gold might sound rather strange, it often looks more like a greeny yellow colour as opposed to a strong green.
Green gold is more commonly found in jewellery next to other gold colours as opposed to on its own.
While the above colours of gold are the most commonly used, other colours also include grey, purple, blue and black.
Gold Carats
When it comes to jewellery, carat is often mistaken for a unit of weight, but actually refers to the percentage of pure gold in the item. So what do these numbers mean?
24 Carat
The purest form of gold that you can buy, 24 carat gold is 99.9% gold and is yellow in colour. It is extremely soft on its own and can scratch easily, which why it is so rare to find jewellery that is 24 carat.
22 Carat
Is slightly harder than 24 carat gold and consists of 91.6% gold, making it highly priced and sought after when it comes to gold jewellery.
18 Carat
18 carat gold consists of 75% gold and is more durable than 24 and 22 carat gold, and although it comes at a cost, it is much brighter and purer than 14 carat and 9 carat gold.
14 Carat
At a cheaper price but still beautiful in colour and highly durable with 58.5% gold, 14 carat is a very popular gold jewellery option.
9 Carat
The most affordable gold jewellery, 9 carat consists of 37.5% gold and is made up with a higher percentage of other metals.
Whether you are buying or selling gold and are looking for the best gold and diamond buyers in Melbourne, Diamond Brokers will give you the most competitive price and can give you an instant quote.
