9 carat versus 18 carat jewellery
What is the difference between 18 carat gold (750/1000) and 9 carat gold (375/1000)? Here is an article on this subject to make you aware of a difference that is not so small...
When you are dealing with a large jewellery store that is very popular on the internet or in a shopping mall, nothing is easier for you than to find your way between 375 thousandths, 9 carats, 750 thousandths, etc
A seller will use the term gold and then it's a blur, everything seems even less understandable. How can all this jewellery be gold with such a low price? Either you dive in, thinking you've got a good deal, or you get suspicious. We explain why the second option is recommended and why it is important to have an informed opinion on the matter and to know exactly what you are buying and will have around your finger for the rest of your life.
1.THOUSANDTHS AND CARATS
It is true that the term "carat" is confusing because when we talk about precious stones, the carat is a unit of weight. But let's get back to what interests us here: as far as metal is concerned, the carat is a unit of measurement of the purity of precious metals. Pure gold, also called "fine gold", contains 24 carats of gold, which means that 24 carats = 100% pure gold. In jewellery, the thousandth is the preferred unit of measurement, i.e. 1000 thousandths equals 100%.
However, pure gold is too soft to be worked by the jeweller. To be able to make jewellery with it, it has to be "hardened" by combining it with other metals such as copper, silver or palladium, which give it its strength and colour while retaining its rustproof and non-allergenic qualities.
2.18 CARAT OR 750 THOUSANDTHS GOLD (750/1000)
If 24 carat gold is pure gold, it means that 24 parts correspond to 1000 thousandths (or 100%).
From this information it will be very easy for you to make a rule of three to understand that 18 carat gold is a metal comprising 18 parts of pure gold out of 24, that is to say 750 thousandths (75%) of pure gold in the alloy, the remainder being a mixture of silver and copper most often. Gold 750/1000 is the gold that we use exclusively at LEGION Paris. It is the legal French grade and the only one that can officially bear the name of gold on our territory.
3.LE 9 CARATS OR 375 THOUSANDTHS (375/1000)
Let's continue our logic with 9 carats. In this alloy and as its name indicates, only 9 parts out of 24 are pure gold, i.e. 375 thousandths (37.5%). When you buy a 9 carat wedding ring sold as gold, you are in fact buying a piece of jewellery in which there is 62.5% oxidisable, brittle and non-precious metal. You'll end up with a dull wedding ring that will turn your finger green in a few months. Not to mention the fact that it is twice as likely to break at the slightest impact and that no jeweller worthy of the name will agree to repair it. So buying 9 carats is buying fake. No more, no less.
At that price, it's expensive, isn't it?
At LEGION Paris we only work with precious metals: 925 silver, 750 gold and 950 platinum. Each piece of jewellery bears our signature, our diamond hallmark awarded by the French customs. If your jewel is made of gold, it also bears, when possible, the customs hallmark which marks the 750/1000 gold (better known as 18 carats): an eagle's head. We strive to sell only jewellery of impeccable quality and durability. Jewellery that you can wear for the rest of your life and pass on to the next generation without question. Jewellery that can be repaired in the event of an accident.
Timeless jewellery.