Guide
Everything about 14K gold
Before choosing a piece it helps to understand three things: how much gold it carries, how hard it is, and how to tell it apart from what only looks like it.
What 14K means
Karat measures purity in twenty-fourths. 24K is pure gold; 14K is 14 parts gold out of 24 — 58.3% gold, the rest an alloy of copper, silver and zinc.
That alloy is not a flaw: it is what gives the piece its color, its hardness and its price. Pure gold is far too soft for a chain worn every day.
Why 14K and not 10K or 18K
10K carries 41.7% gold: tougher, but paler in color and quicker to tarnish because of the copper.
18K carries 75%: richer color and more value per gram, but it scratches and bends more easily.
14K is the middle ground that survives daily wear without losing the color of gold. That is why it is the standard for everyday jewelry.
Solid, plated and filled are not the same
A plated piece is another metal with a microscopic layer of gold on top; that layer wears off with use and sweat.
A gold-filled piece carries more gold than a plated one, but it is still a layer over a core of another metal.
A solid piece is gold all the way through. It can be weighed, it can be melted, and its value does not depend on the finish. Everything we list is solid.
How to check
Look for the stamp: 14K, 585 or 583 marked on the clasp, the inside of the ring or the plate of the ID bracelet.
Ask for the weight in grams. A solid piece can always be weighed, and weight is what sets the price together with the day's gold.
Be wary of a fixed price. Gold trades every day; anyone quoting a price that never moves is not selling you gold.