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 .
Some popular stamp list you find in your gold – Know How pure is your gold.
You must know about the common Gold purity and hallmark indicators .
1. EPNS –Electroplated Nickel Silver
If you find that any piece of gold you come across has marked as EPNS . Then know that it is not gold , it is just a silverplated.
- Is it EPNS Gold ? NO
- Is it recommended to buy EPNS marked gold ? No
- Why you shouldn’t buy EPNS marked gold ? It is not gold , only silver plated which is absolutely of no worth at all.
2. EPBM – Electroplated Britannia Metal
It is more cheaper than EPNS. It is just electroplated metal not at all gold. EPBM is mostly used for making teapots where some common antiques like Victorian teapot is made of EPBM.
3. GE – Gold Electroplate
It is just electrolytically made metal with certain gold and mostly brass.This is also not gold at all.
4. HGE – Heavy Gold Electroplate
As the word heavy itself will make it clear its certainly about GE , here the thickness of gold is high ie, 100 millionths of one inch.
5. GF – Gold Filled
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 :-
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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 .
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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.
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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.
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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 .
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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.
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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.
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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.
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