Precious Metals
This graph shows the diffrence between different grades of gold. Pure gold is 24 carat, but is too soft to be practical. 18 carat is very high in gold content, yet is hardened by copper and silver to give it workable stength. 9 carat on the other hand is less than half pure gold, and uses a lot of copper and zinc.
The Difference Between Carats is Surprising Gold alloys are always calculated by weight. For example 18 carat gold must contain at least 18 parts gold out of 24 parts total (75%). The proportions by volume can show a startling difference.
The graphic to the right shows the proportions by volume of gold, silver, copper and zinc in typical 18 carat and 9 carat yellow gold alloys.
9 Carat Only Contains 37.5% Gold!
As you can see, 9 carat yellow gold contains only 37.5% gold by volume. What’s more, 9 carat gold is more likely to contain zinc, which causes an allergic reaction in some people. Consumers who saw gold alloys being mixed would only want to buy 18 or higher alloys. Indeed the more you know about all the qualities of gold alloys, the more you would only accept 18 carat or better.
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