Everything you need to know about 10K Gold and 14K Gold
What are the differences between 10K Gold and 14K Gold?
Purity: 10K gold contains 41.7% pure gold (10 parts gold out of 24) while 14K gold is more pure, containing 58.3% pure gold (14 parts gold out of 24) and both are alloyed with other metals such as copper, zinc, or nickel.
Durability: Both last forever, never change color, are resistant to chemicals, and do not tarnish, but in terms of hardness, due to the higher percentage of gold in 14 carat, the 14 carat gold is less scratch-resistant than 10 carat.
Color: It is sometimes mistakenly said that 14K Gold is yellower than 10K Gold. But in fact, any purity of gold can be produced in different colors such as Yellow Gold, White, and Rose Gold according to the ratio of alloys that are added to them.
In other words, 1 gram of 14K White Gold has the same amount of Gold as one gram of 14K Yellow Gold. Therefore, the amount of yellowness is not an accurate parameter to determine the amount of gold in an alloy.
Price: The value of each alloy is equal to its gold amount. As a result, since the amount of pure Gold in 14 Karat Gold is more than 10 karat, its price is also higher.
It can be easily said that the intrinsic value of 1 gram of 14K Gold is 40% more than the intrinsic value of 1 gram of 10K Gold.
Are 10K Gold and 14K Gold Solid Gold?
Both 10K Gold and 14K Gold are considered solid gold, but the term “solid gold” can sometimes be misunderstood.
Let’s clarify:
The term “solid gold” is used to distinguish gold alloys from “gold-plated”, “gold vermeil”, or “gold-filled” materials. In these material types, a thin layer of gold is plated onto a base metal. In contrast, solid gold refers to items where the gold content is present throughout the entire piece, even if it’s mixed with other metals.
Therefore, both 10K gold and 14K gold are considered solid gold, with the karat number indicating the proportion of pure gold within the alloy.
All jewelry made of 10K, 14K, 18K, and 22K Gold has intrinsic value due to having a percentage of pure gold, while, none of the gold-plated, gold vermeil, and gold-filled materials have any intrinsic value. In fact, the buyer only pays for the production of jewelry when choosing gold-plated, . . . materials.
Can I wear 10K Gold and 14K Gold under the shower?
You definitely can because both are resistant to tarnishing, discoloration, and any type of chemicals.
Is 10k and 14k Gold a good investment?
Investing in gold has always been a safe and low-risk investment. A piece of jewelry made of solid gold can quickly turn into cash even after 20 years of wear and tear due to the high liquidity of gold. In addition, gold has always been a way to prevent capital loss due to inflation. So, it is recommended to always invest in solid gold rather than other materials.
How to care for 10K/14K Gold Jewelry?
Solid gold never tarnishes; the only thing that can damage the shine of jewelry made of solid gold is scratches and wear.
To protect against wear and tear, it is important to protect your gold jewelry from contact with hard objects. In addition, it is very important to use a container to store your jewelry that prevents the jewelry from touching each other and causing scratches.
