Article: 9 carat vs. 18 carat jewelry

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Oct 23, 2020

9 carat vs. 18 carat jewelry

What is the difference between 18-carat (750/1000) and 9-carat (375/1000) gold? Here's an article on the subject to help you understand a difference that isn't so small...

When you are dealing with a large, popular jewelry store on the internet or a shopping mall, nothing is easier for you than finding your way around 375 thousandths, 9 carats, 750 thousandths, etc.

A salesperson will use the term "gold," and then it becomes unclear, making everything even less understandable. How can all this jewelry be made of gold at such a low price? Either you dive in, thinking you're sniffing out a bargain, or you're suspicious. We'll explain why the second option is recommended, and in any case, it's best to have an informed opinion on the matter and know exactly what you're buying and what you'll have around your fingertips for the rest of your life.

1. THOUSANDS AND CARATS

It is true that the term “carats” 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: when it comes to metal, the carat is a unit of measurement for 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 jewelry, the unit of measurement is preferably thousandths, so in other words: 1000 thousandths is equal to 100%.

However, pure gold is too soft to be worked by the jeweler. To make jewelry with it, it must be "hardened" by alloying it with other metals such as copper, silver or palladium which give it its strength but also its color while retaining its stainless and non-allergenic qualities .

2. 18 CARAT OR 750 THOUSANDS GOLD (750/1000)

If 24 carat gold is pure gold, then 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 containing 18 parts of pure gold out of 24, or 750 thousandths (75%) of pure gold in the alloy, the rest being a mixture of silver and copper most often. 750/1000 gold is the gold that we use, and this exclusively, at LEGION Paris, it is the French legal title and it is the only one that can officially bear the name of gold on our territory.

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3. 9 CARATS OR 375 THOUSANDTHS (375/1000)

Let's now continue our logic with 9 carats. In this alloy, and as its name suggests, only 9 parts out of 24 are pure gold, or 375 thousandths (37.5%). When you buy a 9-carat wedding band sold as gold, you are actually buying a piece of jewelry in which there is 62.5% oxidizable, brittle, and non-precious metal. Enough to end up with a dull wedding band 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 shock, and no jeweler worthy of the name will agree to repair it. Buying 9 carats is therefore buying junk. Nothing more, nothing less.

At that price, it's expensive, right?

At LEGION Paris, we only work with precious metals: 925 silver, 750 gold, and 950 platinum. Each piece of jewelry bears our signature, our diamond-shaped master's mark awarded by French customs. If your jewelry is made of gold, it also bears, when possible, the customs hallmark that marks 750/1000 gold (better known as 18 carats): an eagle's head. We strive to sell only jewelry of impeccable quality and durability. Jewelry that you can wear all your life and pass on to future generations without ever having to worry. Jewelry that can be repaired in the event of an accident.

Eternal jewels.