14kt or 18kt Gold

[PaisleyLady]

Wednesday Night while reading some literature on diamonds, it occured to me that while I had been very diligent in my diamond research, I had not specified the carat of gold I wanted my band to be in to my boyfriend. We picked out my ring together. My question is what carat of gold is better 14kt or 18kt.

 

[ButterBean]

18k has more pure gold in it and is more yellow in color.
14k has less gold in it and is less yellow in color.

BB

 

[sandia_rose]

Date: 1/25/2008 2:29:12 PM
Author: ButterBean

18k has more pure gold in it and is more yellow in color.
14k has less gold in it and is less yellow in color.

And to add onto that, the less "pure" that gold is, the harder it is. 24k, which is pure gold, is sometimes used for things like charms, earrings, filigree, etc., but is not suitable for something that will be worn daily and subjected to any strain. If you tend to be hard on your jewelery, get the 14k. Even 12k is a viable option. 18k will show scratches, denting, etc. before 14k does. Think really hard and realistically about how hard you are on your jewelery. Don't pick the higher carat because it's "purer." Most people will not be able to look at your hand and eyeball what carat weight you have.

I'm allergic to the alloys used in gold, so my engagement ring and wedding band when I was married were platinum. Platinum is an inert metal and unlike gold, is hard enough to withstand daily use/wear without being alloyed with anything. I am also very athletic and hard on my jewelery.

If you're thinking ahead to what to get your man, another option is titanium. It's being offered more and more in jewelery - it will not corrode and is strong (it's what is used to make joint replacements and spinal fusion hardware). My ex is an engineer who uses his hands extensively in his daily work (always in and out of machines, etc). I got him a titanium band. Unfortunately, we were only married 4 years....but his band looked brand-new to the end.

Bridget in Connecticut.

 

[tberube]

I got 14K. It was cheaper, more white, and more wear-resistant.

 

[LitigatorChick]

There is also various alloys for white gold. For example, my 3 stone ring is made in 19K white gold, which has palladium in it, so it does not need to be rhodium plated to stay white.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

My anniversary ring (in avatar) is X1 14K and it does not need to be rhodium plated to stay white.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I don''t have time to search for it, but one of the appraisers here has said that 18k is usually more durable in white gold and 14k in yellow gold. I guess it has to do with the alloys. So if you are going with white gold, I''d do 18k and try to get the X1 if you can. I don''t know how widely available it is, though.

 

[secondhandnews]

To the best of my knowledge, the X1 is only available through Stuller and only in 14K. Not all of their products are available in the X1 alloy at this time. I spoke with a local jeweler about this alloy and he said that it is so new that he wants to wait and see how well it performs before he will offer the X1 products in his store. I have 14K and 18K rings and they seem equally durable with regard to scratches, etc. I have had a 14K ring rhodium plated once since I purchased it 2 years ago but the 18K that I purchased around the same time still looks nice and I have not seen the need to rhodium dip it yet.