What is Pure Gold ?

Gold is a natural metal. Gold jewellery is usually described in terms of karat age which is an indication of its gold content, for example 22 carat or 22K would mean 91.6% pure gold which is calculated as 22/24. Pure Gold is 24 karat (i.e. 99.9% pure). Such a metal in its purest state is very soft and impractical for making jewels.

To create jewellery that is practically wearable, gold has to be alloyed with other harder metals in the required proportions to make it malleable and durable. It is then called 22K, 18K and so on depending on the percentage of alloy that is added.

Gold jewellery used in India is of the following karat age:

Karat	Purity
22 kt Gold	91.6% Pure
21 kt Gold	87.5% Pure
18 kt Gold	75.0% Pure

What are alloys?

Alloys are basically mixtures of more than one metal, usually added to increase the strength and enhance the color of Gold. Copper and silver are the commonly used metals in a Gold alloy.

What is 916 Gold?

The common Gold alloy to be used in any good quality gold jewel is 22 Kt Gold. It means that the gold is 91.6 % pure and hence the name 916 Pure Gold, an internationally accepted standard.

What is Hallmarked Jewelry?

Hallmarking is a method of assessing the purity of gold by a competent authority. Hallmarking certifies that the jewellery conforms to National/International Standards of Purity. In India, the BIS, i.e., Bureau of Indian Standards undertakes certification of purity of gold jewellery in accordance with Indian Standards IS:1417 Grades of Gold and Gold Alloys.