24K vs 22K vs 18K vs 14K gold: which purity suits your life?

Higher karat sounds like the safer buy. But the purest gold is also the softest, and the right purity depends on what you will wear and how often.

What is the real difference between 24K, 22K, 18K and 14K gold?

The difference between 24K, 22K, 18K and 14K gold is how much pure gold each one holds, and everything else follows from that. 24K is close to pure gold, 22K is 91.6 per cent gold, 18K is 75 per cent and 14K is 58.5 per cent.^[1] The rest is made up of metals such as copper, silver and zinc.

That mix changes three things you will notice. Colour: the more gold, the deeper the yellow. Strength: each step down in karat makes the metal harder.^[2] Price: a lower karat costs less for the same weight. None of the four is "fake"; each trades richness against toughness.

How do the four purities compare side by side?

The four purities compare most clearly on gold content, hallmark number, colour, hardness and the pieces each suits. The hallmark numbers below are the grades the Bureau of Indian Standards recognises for jewellery, along with 20K and 23K, which are less common.^[1]

Why is 24K gold rarely made into jewellery?

24K gold is rarely made into jewellery because pure gold is too soft to keep its shape, hold a clasp or grip a stone through years of wear.^[2]

That softness is why 24K mostly lives in coins and bars. Under Bureau of Indian Standards rules, bullion and coins are hallmarked at 995 and 999.^[5] You can browse gold coins separately from jewellery.

24K does have a place in jewellery: in simple, solid designs that are worn with care. QWEEN's 24K Sunrise is its pure gold colour, a deep, warm yellow. Pieces that take few knocks, such as studs that sit still on the ear, suit soft gold far better than a ring would.

Is 22K gold better than 18K?

22K gold is not better than 18K; it is purer, richer in colour and softer. A common pitch is that 22K is "purer, so better". For a plain gold necklace you want to pass down, that can be true. For a diamond ring, it usually is not.

Standard 22K is soft and wears faster than 18K, so prongs thin and engraving fades sooner on pieces worn all day.^[2] 22K does win on colour and gold content: it has the rich yellow of Indian traditional jewellery, and at 91.6 per cent gold, more of what you pay for is gold.^[1] It is also known as 916 gold, after its hallmark number.

Purer is not the same as better. The right gold is the one that survives the life you give it.

A common case: choosing between a 22K and an 18K bangle for daily wear. The 22K one has the deeper glow; the 18K one keeps its shape longer through desk edges and car doors.

At QWEEN, Desert Noon is the classic Indian yellow; the Lost In You Necklace shows the warm yellow of 18K.

Which gold is best for diamond jewellery?

18K gold is the most common choice for diamond jewellery because it is firm enough to hold stones securely while keeping a warm, rich colour. 14K is harder still.^[2] 22K and 24K are generally too soft for settings that grip small stones.

Diamonds are held by thin claws or metal pressed around the edge, and a thinning claw can let a stone loosen; harder gold keeps its grip longer.^[2]

Lower karats also open up colour. White and rose gold are made by mixing gold with other metals, so they exist mainly in 18K and 14K. Copper gives rose gold its pink, as in the Wild Bloom Ring in 18K Rose Bloom.

At QWEEN, solitaires are set in 18K, and QWEEN has every diamond certified by IGI, and signature solitaires by GIA, as set out on the QWEEN certification page.

Is 14K gold real gold?

14K gold is real gold: it is 58.5 per cent pure gold and is one of the purities the Bureau of Indian Standards hallmarks, stamped 585.^[1] 14K is the hardest of the four and holds its shape well, which suits rings worn every day and lighter budgets.

The trade-offs are honest ones. 14K looks a shade paler than 18K, and its gold value is lower if you exchange it later. Some people with sensitive skin react to the larger share of other metals; if that has happened to you, try a higher karat or ask what the piece is mixed with.

Which purity suits the way you live?

The purity that suits you is the one that matches how often you will wear the piece and what it will hold.

For many wardrobes the answer is both: 22K for plain gold on special days, 18K for the diamond ring and studs that never come off. QWEEN makes its jewellery in seven colours of gold, from 24K Sunrise to Clover Green, if colour is part of your choice.

How does purity change what you pay?

Purity changes what you pay because the gold value of a piece is its weight multiplied by the rate for that purity. The India Bullion and Jewellers Association publishes separate daily rates for 999, 995, 916, 750 and 585 gold, so each karat has its own price per gram on any given day.^[3]

An illustration with a made-up round number: if pure gold were ₹10,000 a gram, the gold in one gram would be worth roughly this much at each karat.

Making charges and stones sit on top of the gold value. A lower karat lowers the gold value but not the making, so the gap between 18K and 14K pieces is often smaller than the gold content suggests. Our guide to how gold jewellery prices are worked out walks through each line.

Purity also shapes what a piece is worth later, because exchange and resale are valued on the gold inside. QWEEN offers lifetime exchange and buyback, valued at QWEEN's prevailing rates (making charges and taxes are not returned). This is how to think about it, not financial advice.

How can you be sure of the purity you are buying?

You can be sure of the purity you are buying by reading the BIS hallmark on the piece and matching it to your invoice. Under Bureau of Indian Standards rules, a hallmark has three parts: the BIS logo, the purity, such as 22K916 or 18K750, and a six-character HUID, a unique code for that piece.^[1]

The HUID can be checked with the Verify HUID feature in the BIS Care app.^[1] Your invoice should also list the net weight of the gold, its purity and the hallmarking charge.^[4]

At QWEEN, all gold is BIS hallmarked, and QWEEN stores have a GoldSure Meter™, so the purity can be read in front of you.

What does QWEEN do differently about gold purity?

QWEEN picks the purity for the job a piece has to do, not the highest number it could print on the tag. That is why QWEEN makes its diamond jewellery mainly in 14K and 18K and sets its solitaires in 18K: the metal has to keep its grip on the stone for years. Desert Noon, QWEEN's classic Indian yellow, is made in 22K.

QWEEN backs that choice with checks you can see. Every QWEEN gold piece carries a BIS hallmark, so the purity on the tag is also stamped in the metal, next to its HUID. QWEEN stores keep a GoldSure Meter™ for gold purity and a DiamondIQ Meter™ to check that a diamond is natural, and QWEEN has every diamond certified by IGI, with a GIA grading report for signature solitaires. In QWEEN stores, pieces sit on open display and you can walk in without an appointment, so you can hold an 18K and a 22K piece side by side.

The full QWEEN terms are on the lifetime exchange and buyback page. To see it for yourself, ask at any QWEEN store to have a piece read on the GoldSure Meter™, or book a QWEEN video consult and check the hallmark on camera.

Seeing it in the metal

Each of these pieces is 18K, the purity that balances colour and strength for everyday wear, shown here in rose, yellow and white gold.

18K · Rose Bloom

Wild Bloom Ring

View piece

18K · Desert Noon

Lost In You Necklace

View piece

18K · Snowfall White

Undercover Barbie Hoops

View piece

18K · Desert Noon

Leave Your Mark Ring

View piece

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Bureau of Indian Standards, Hallmarking FAQ — on purity grades 14K to 24K, hallmark parts and HUID
2. Ganoksin, Hard 22 carat gold alloy — on why standard 22K is soft and wears faster than 18K
3. India Bullion and Jewellers Association, Daily gold rates — on separate daily rates for 999, 995, 916, 750 and 585 gold
4. Bureau of Indian Standards, Hallmarking: jewellers — on what a hallmarked jewellery invoice must show
5. Bureau of Indian Standards, Brief on hallmarking (PDF) — on bullion and coins hallmarked at 995 and 999