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Karat can be spelt in different ways – carat or karat. The dericvation is from the ancient word for weight. Without going into particular historical details, carat / karat is therefore a measure of quantity. Although their meanings are similar there are differences in their reference. Carat is used in the measurement of weight of gemstones whereas karat refers to the purity of gold. Therefore karat refers to the quantity of gold in an item, not its actual weight. Pure gold is 24-karat gold. Metals are mixed with gold to increase its strength and hardness – commonly copper, nickel, silver and zinc. This changes the composition and therefore the purity. Whereas pure gold is 24 karat, alloy gold is 9, 14 and 18 karat.It is normal practice to see karat information attached to each piece of gold ring on display. The majority of European and American gold jewelry is cast from an alloy of gold and so purity is measured in karats or the percentage of gold composition in the metal. Frequently these are seen on tags as numbers followed by the letter K. By American standard for gold rings or for any gold jewelry for that matter, the composition of the metal must be at the very least 10K purity which translates to 41.7% pure gold. One will find higher purity levels with alloys at 22K and 24K less frequently because such are usually too soft for use by American and European jewelers. In contrast, higher purity alloys are in common use in other parts of the world such as Middle East, Africa and Asia.
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