All about the karat of gold

The weight of jewelry is designated with the special term "carat" (ct.) One carat is equivalent to 200 mg. The number of additives in the metal depends on the number of carats. The more carats, the cleaner the alloy. Gold is divided into 7 classes depending on the ligature (additives).

The definition of "carat" comes from the Arabic word qirat or the Latin carat, which translates as "the fruit of the carob tree." This name appeared in honor of the plant used in jewelry in the countries of the East. The ancient masters called the plant pods "curatonia". The seed of this tree, due to its constant shape, served as a measure of the weight of precious stones.

The concept of "carat" was used to evaluate goods. This system was not very reliable, especially for international trade. In this regard, at the end of the 19th century, the value of one carat for all countries was determined - 205 mg. Later, in 1907, at a conference on weights and measures in Paris, a resolution was adopted to amend 205 to 200 mg. Since then, this indicator has been in effect all over the world. From Soviet times until 1994, the brand (quality indicator) was enclosed in a five-pointed star with a hammer and sickle.

In the United States and European countries, this system of evaluating gold is mainly used. Many Russians and residents of the CIS countries in foreign trips purchase gold items without a stamp and assaying, but with an indication of carats. Therefore, the question arises, what does the karat of gold mean.

It is known that in the jewelry industry, gold is never used without the addition of impurities. If this were the case, then gold items without impurities would turn out to be very brittle, prone to deformation. Due to this factor, gold would simply lose its popularity. Therefore, it is given wear resistance by adding any metals to the alloy, the so-called master alloy. When evaluating the authenticity of gold, the amount of this metal in the alloy is taken into account.

Therefore, carats do not denote the weight of the precious metal, but the quantitative ratio of it to the additive in a particular product. The addition of different metals affects the color and value of the jewelry. Domestic alloys consist of a certain proportion of copper, and Western alloys - silver.

The metric system is adopted in Russia, Germany, Austria, Italy and on the territory of the CIS countries. Karat - in Switzerland and America, in the UK. Jewelers mark the items on the inside with small stamps. According to them, the country of origin and the quality of the alloy are determined.

The cost of gold jewelry is determined by its share in 1 gram of alloy and the amount of impurities. The most expensive is considered to be 24K gold - pure metal of the highest standard, without impurities.

You can determine how many grams in a particular product and its carat value by consulting a special table. According to the given figures, the following ratios exist:

• 24K (carat) - corresponds to the 999 standard, a precious metal considered by jewelers to be the most valuable;
• 22K - 916, 917 samples;
• 21 - 875 fineness, meaning that the alloy contains 87.50% gold;
• 19K - 792 samples;
• 18K - 750 standard, valuable metal;
• 15K - 625 fineness, gold content - 62.50%;
• 14K - 585 samples, medium quality;
• 10K - 417 samples, equal to 14K in value;
• 9K - 375 test, refers to low quality;
• 8K - 333 samples.

In some countries, you can find 23 carat gold items. In the metric system, there are no samples with a value less than 300, and in the carat system - less than 8 and more than 24 (for example, 25). That is, a stamp of 25K or 7 indicates that this is a fake. Perhaps, on top of a cheap alloy, a thin layer of gilding was simply applied.

Fineness 16 is very rare, mainly on imported gold goods. In Europe, 18K and 14K gold is preferred, and in Britain 9K gold is popular. In Portugal, there is 19.2 carat gold, which is unique and rare. In America, gold of 10, 14, 18 carats is more popular, in Asian countries (in particular in India) - 22 carats (there are also 23 carats), in China they prefer to purchase products marked with 24 carats.

The purity of gold is determined by the carat and metric systems. Karat is calculated by the percentage of pure gold. The karat system is applicable in Great Britain, America, Switzerland and other European countries.

The purest alloy is 24 carats. To calculate the number of ligatures, you need to subtract the carat from 24. 9K contains the same amount of gold and 15 remains for additives.

In Russia and the CIS, the metric type of designation is used. According to it, the amount of gold without ligature per 1000 particles is determined. The 750-carat product contains the same amount of gold and 250 additional particles. It turns out that each kilogram of this sample will contain 750 g of gold and 250 g of additives. The system was introduced in 1927 and is currently valid.

The metric system includes 375, 500, 585, 750, 900, 916, 958 samples. Carat system: 24, 23, 18, 14, 12, 9. To understand what these numbers mean, you should compare the two systems using a special table.

In the carat system, 1000 grams of the alloy would correspond to 24 carats. This is an indicator of pure gold. If the gold product has a stamp of 18, it means that the alloy contains exactly that many carats of pure gold. To understand how many grams of a noble metal such an alloy contains, you need to divide 18 by the number 24 and multiply the result by 100. In this case, 750 grams are obtained, which means that 18-carat gold is an analogue of the 750-carat precious metal.

Each certified jewelry product sold in the Russian Federation and the CIS must have a brand and a test. If the jewelry has a stamp with the number of carats, then such a product is most likely of foreign origin, and there is a high risk that it is counterfeit. According to statistics, over 70% of foreign jewelry sold in the jewelry market in the post-Soviet countries is fake. For this reason, it is recommended to purchase products with a hallmark and a hallmark, and not with an indication of carats.

Usually, gold jewelry is marked with a carat value. In the absence of samples and brands, or if it is necessary to check the purity of the product, various methods can be used.

Performed by a craftsman in most jewelry stores. The product is scratched and a little acid (mainly nitric) is applied to this place to produce a chemical reaction. It determines the size of the carat. You can independently test using a special kit with nitric acid in the kit.

The test is usually performed as follows.

• Slightly scratch the product on the non-visible side.
• The set includes bottles with different concentrations of acid, indicating the number of carats on each label. You need to drop the acid from the bottle with the lowest number on the scratch and evaluate the reaction.
• If the carat of the alloy exceeds that indicated on the label, the color of the metal on the mark will remain unchanged. In this case, you need to repeat the manipulation using the acid from the bottle with the next lowest number.
• If the carat and the number on the label match, the place of the mark will slightly change its color. If the jewelry is 1-2 carats less, the mark will rust slightly, but it will persist.
• If the carat is more than one less than the one indicated on the label, the mark will dissolve and disappear.

Before starting acid testing, it is important to carefully read the instructions that came with the kit. The exact procedure may not be the same as described above.

There are metal cleanliness tests that have become popular. But despite this, they are useless.

Biting on a gold piece is not worth biting, although they say that this is a good way to determine the authenticity of gold. Not only is it a soft metal, there are other soft alloys that are simply gilded. This is often used by dishonest counterfeit sellers.

It is also believed that gold does not attract a magnet, which proves its purity and authenticity. At the same time, there are many alloys that do not react to a magnet either. They can only be gilded.

How to identify gold in a rock, you can watch in the next video.