14K Gold Purity

In short 14K gold is 14 parts gold in 24, which works out to 583.33 parts per thousand and 58.33% gold by weight; the remaining 41.67% is alloy, usually copper, silver, zinc or nickel, and it is what sets the colour and the hardness. It is stamped 585. The mark, 585, sits ABOVE the arithmetic figure of 583.33. This is the only standard mark that does, so an alloy that is exactly 14 karat is not entitled to the stamp and has to be made slightly richer to earn it. In practical weights, one tola of 14K — 11.6638 grams gross — contains 6.804 grams of pure gold, and one troy ounce of it contains 18.144 grams; gold is priced per troy ounce of 31.1035 grams, never per the 28.35 gram ounce on a kitchen scale. This is the standard in United States, Germany, where it is used for everyday jewellery where durability matters most. One thing to keep straight: karat is a ratio out of 24 and says nothing whatever about weight, while the carat that gemstones are sold in is a mass unit of exactly 0.2 grams. A two carat stone weighs 0.4 grams; a 14 karat piece can weigh anything at all.