Gold purity and hallmark -Buyer’s Guide to choose the Pure Gold Jewellery

Haven’t you heard the famous quote ” All that glitters is not gold ” . So nowadays when we have to buy gold it is really so confusing to know which is the pure gold . For a common man 22 carat gold , KDM gold , 916 gold , BIS hallmark gold all this is a very confusing term.So understanding the gold purity and hallmark is essential for every gold buyer to choose the right and pure gold jewellery.

Gold purity and hallmark – Know in detail 

You should know about the purity of the gold you buy. Gold purity is  expressed in terms of karats (k or kt ).

Karats of Gold To determine gold purity

As we said karat is a unit of measurement for gold purity .Don’t get confused with carat & Karat , both are used differently .Carat is used when we say the measurement of weight for precious gemstones , diamonds etc. Karat indicates as unit for gold’s purity level.

Common Gold purities Data

Gold has so many uses apart from using it for making jewelry .Gold is used based on its purity ie, how much percentage of gold is contained . Like if the gold is so pure then it will be too soft . So a that case the gold will be used for medicinal purpose while when its mixed with metals then it gets industrial use .

Solid layer of gold which is about 5% of the total weight of the item is filled as the outer layer .This Gold filled , it is not exactly gold.

GOLD PURITY AND FINENESS CHART

Here gold purity by karat is listed in detail :-

• 24 KARAT GOLD

It is the purest gold of all but its very rare to find 24 karat gold.But 24 karat gold is so soft to make it jewellery .

• 22 KARAT GOLD

This is the most preferred purity of gold which is desired for jewellery . Normally in market you can find only 22 karat gold. It is comparatively less in cost than 24 karat gold.

• 18 KARAT GOLD

It is not so soft as 22 karat and comparatively less in cost than the former two (22 and 24 karat gold). It is still a good choice , but i mean it is the second best choice of gold you can go for when it comes to jewellery.

• 14 KARAT GOLD

Just 58.3- 58.5 % of gold content so you can understand its purity . It is comparatively lower than the above mentioned .

• 12 KARAT GOLD

It is made up of 50% gold not worth the money or a good choice for gold saving. It is not highly priced too.

• 10 KARAT GOLD

Quite popular in US as its very strong most industrious job takers prefer 10 Karat gold jewellery as it is strong it gives a strong lasting but not preferred in India.

• 9 KARAT GOLD

It is just 37.5% of gold mostly used for dental purpose but used in jewellery too but is the least preferred for gold jewellery as its of very less purity.

Here is the gold purity chart .

Karat	% of Gold	Fineness	Parts of gold	How pure
9k	37.5%	375	9/24	Very less pure
10k	41.7%	416/417	10/24	Less pure but still preferred for jewellery by US
12k	50%	500	12/24	Averagely good purity
14k	58.3 % (or 58.5 %)	583/585	14/24	Preferred purity of gold
18k	75%	750	18/24	second most preferred purity
22k	91.7%	916/917	22/24	Ideally Preferred purity gold for jewellery
24k	99.9 %	999	24/24	Very pure

 

Gold Hallmark Guide

Jewellery with hallmark is again a confusion as we don’t understand what exactly these mean .

This is the final session of our Gold purity and hallmark guide –

You would have come across many advertisement  about BIS Hallmark gold jewellery .So here i tell you what exactly is BIS Hallmark gold – it is legal hallmark for gold jewellery from 2000.

How to Check BIS Hallmark ?

Check for the BIS Logo in the gold article you purchase . 2. The 3 digit number indicating purity of gold .

BIS Purity Grade Chart
999	24 Karat
958	23 Karat
916	22 Karat
875	21 Karat
750	18 Karat
708	17 Karat
585	14 Karat
417	10 Karat
375	9 Karat
333	8 Karat

3. Assaying centre logo should be present.

4. A code that represents the year of hallmarking.

Year of Hallmarking	Alphabet
2000	A
2001	B
2002	C
2012	P
2013	R

 

5. A code or logo of the jewellery .

Common FAQ of Gold Buyers

KDM Gold Vs. Hallmark Gold

KDM 916 AND KDM 24 Karat gold is available . KDM gold means that it is soldered with cadmium . Hallmark 916 means same purity only but its safe soldered.

KDM gold is banned in most country and  it is not advised to buy KDM Gold because it will lead to skin cancer and many other health issues while hallmark gold is safe gold to use .

ADVICE WHILE BUYING GOLD 

# Hallmarking cost is just Rs.25 per article so don’t spend extra money on hallmark gold.

# Look for the purity of gold and re assure it will hallmark and get bill for your purchase.

 

So here is the ultimate guide for all gold buyers regarding Gold purity and hallmark and also other common guidelines you must know.