Low to High Carat Gold

[Chewbacca]

What are your experiences with different carat weights? Colour, soft/hardness, quality? What pieces (rings, necklaces, etc) do you have in what weights? What are your recommendations, what are your favourites?

 

[Christina...]

I'm not very good with metals, but if it's just opinions that you are looking for....

I love the options that gold gives me, the color choices and the different metal strengths. My preference would depend on what the project was, my next e ring setting will be platinum, because of the design choice. For a pendent, RHR earrings, bracelet etc, I would choose 14k, I find that platinum is too heavy for many of these and become uncomfortable to wear and that 14k is a nice compromise. For higher quality pieces that I will wear everyday, I'd probably choose 18k unless I was looking for a specific RG color.

 

[Niel]

Depends . If you are talking color. I'd go 18k gold for rose, yellow, or unplated white (if you were trying to play it up). It looks so much more rich. However if you wanted white color, I'd go 14k. If you are rhodium plating anyways, then you get the benefit of 14k being already whiter AND its more durable. I was trying to get a more yellowy white gold so I didn't plate my 14k e ring and you cannot even tell.

If this was something with lots of pave, I'd probably keep it 14k too, for durability. But a solitaire I would be comfortable keeping the gold at a high karat.

And in terms of colors, I prefer a yellow or rose over white, so much more interesting and unique..I'm very disappointed in my original metal selection

 

[chrono]

My preference is strongly skewed towards higher karatage as the richer yellow color appeals to me and compliments my skin tone. For a complex ring design, I stay with platinum or 14kt for strength and durability. If it is a simple gem piece, I always opt for 18k. If it doesn't have any gemstones, I like 22kt pieces. As much as I love 24kt gold, they don't hold up as well for daily wear in heavy "usage" such as bracelets or bangles and rings.

If white, I always choose platinum over white gold for its heft, colour, and durability and strength. No plating needed and no concerns about nickel allergy.
If rose, I find 18k to be a softer blush than 14k.

 

[Chewbacca]

Thank you for your opinions!

Has anyone ever had any problems with a low carat piece? I've heard rumors of tarnishing, but I assume it is all dependent on the paticular mix of metals?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I always have to post this because people wrongly assume that 14k white is harder than 18k just because it is true about yellow gold. But according to appraiser Neil Beatty, that is not necessarily true:

"The hardness of the final product is a more complicated question than the simple karatage of the metal. Properly worked, some alloys of 18k can be quite durable. For commercially cast type pieces, 14k yellow gold is usually more durable than 18k yellow gold. 18k white is usually more durable than 14k white."

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver - See more at: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/19k-white-gold-v-s-platinum-help-needed-asap-_.53815/#sthash.B7kOqyxw.dpuf']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/19k-white-gold-v-s-platinum-help-needed-asap-_.53815/#sthash.B7kOqyxw.dpuf[/URL]

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Personally, I prefer platinum (the harder alloys of 95plat/5ruthenium or 90plat/10iridium) for most things, but I also have some 18k white gold pieces such as pendants and earrings. For rose or yellow gold, I would still go with 18k because 14k barely has half gold content, and I just want fine jewelry to be made of a fine metal.

 

[aviastar]

To add onto what DiamondSeeker has posted, you have to be very specific in your terminology when discussing metals. 'Hardness' doesn't necessarily mean the most durable or desirable- it depends on the piece.

Platinum is actually really 'soft', but it's also really dense and sticky, for lack of a better word. The platinum molecules will move around easily, meaning that you will see scratches, but they won't leave the body of the piece, which means platinum is really one of the longest wearing metals.

With gold, alot depends on the alloys used. Nickle is brittle, so 14K may not show scratches because it's 'hard', but if a prong is yanked up it might crack. 18K has more pure gold and is generally less brittle. The silver and copper used in yellow and rose alloys are not as brittle as nickle, so 14K of those alloys won't behave the same way as 14K Nickle white. But 18K is always more gold dense than 14K, which I feel means a little more longevity in the piece, for which I am willing to trade the scratch showing, personally.

And that doesn't even touch on color preference or palladium- all by itself or used as a white gold alloy.

So there is no 'best' metal, there are only pros and cons and which one suits your preferences the most.

As for the low karat golds, I would imagine what's tarnishing is the alloy. You drop below 50% pure gold by the time you get to 10K. I think this is also the case for 10K rings that turn your finger green or give you a rash; if you have a high sensitivity to the alloy used there will be a lot of it in there in lower karat pieces.