QuestionThank you in advance for being available. I am questioning an online auction that advertises it rings as being 14kt. When I specifically asked if it was in fact 14kt I got an answer back stating it was 30% gold. I have no idea what carat 30% gold is? The dealer is in australia but doesn't have a good command of english so communication is an issue. The ring is very inexpensive so I'm a bit leery, although it is very attractive in the pictures. Look forward to hearing from you. Pat
AnswerHi, Pat. Thanks for this question. Well, a little simple math will answer one question. Pure gold is 24 kt. Something which is 30% gold is 0.30 x 24kt = 7.2 kt. Humm..not up to 14kt at all if the seller is clear on what is meant.
As I am sure you have seen in jewelry, often newer items are marked with numerical metal quality marks and not the normal kt marks. 10kt is 417, 14kt is technically 583 but more generally 585 on jewelry since Europeans started with a slightly higher than 14kt alloy. 18kt is 750. The numbers are shown as "parts per thousand" but it is easier to think of these as for a percent, 58.3% pure gold in the mix, etc.
Either a major miscommunication is going on or the seller is unaware of what is being sold..who knows.
For your information, I have not before heard of 7kt gold and the lowest karat generally sold is in the UK, where 9kt is accepted. Anything lower than 10kt cannot be sold in the USA and called karat gold.
I believe some more communication is needed to gain an idea of what you bid is actually for.
Thanks. I do hope this helps a bit.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas. September 1, 2008 7:33pm
