How to Understand the Difference between 24 Karats or 14 Carats Gold

Gold prices fluctuate like the stock market. In recent times gold buying websites have cropped up, offering to buy scrap gold, such as broken pieces of jewelry or gold fillings. Jewelry stores, pawn shops and coin shops also offer to buy gold. If you have a pile of gold that weighs one ounce, what you get for it will be determined by the purity of the gold. Or how many karats in each piece. But, what does this all mean?

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Don't be confused by carat or karat. They mean the same thing, simply different spellings. One karat is equal to one twenty-fourth part, or 1/24.

2. Understand that pure gold is 24 karats. But, gold is soft. Alloys (other metals) are added to the gold to make it harder.

3. Calculate how much gold by determining the alloy ratio. If a piece of gold is 24 karats, it has no alloys added, and is 100% gold. If it is 18 Karat gold, then the gold has 18 parts gold (18/24) to 6 parts alloy (6/24).

4. Look for the stamp on the jewelry that may indicate the Karats.