# 10...14.....18.....24 Karat Gold **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2001, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101 "2001-05-31T17:24:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101/1 "2001-05-31T17:24:36Z")
Why nothing inbetween? Thanks Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101/2 "2001-05-31T17:29:35Z")
There are values inbetween: [http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/1157/weights.htm](http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/1157/weights.htm) WAG: standard interval weights are used because it looks simpler and easier for consumers (the same reason that we don’t often price things as £0.23, £0.47, £0.61 etc). ---
**Author:** ![starfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/87869e/32.png) [@starfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starfish)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101/3 "2001-05-31T17:29:54Z")
Make your own. Why 2% milk and not 2-1/3%? ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101/4 "2001-05-31T17:33:30Z")
Argh. I meant purity, not weight. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2001, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101/5 "2001-05-31T17:37:51Z")
Most helpful link. I can now impress upon my SO that it really _is_ the thought that counts! 😃 Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101/6 "2001-06-01T03:58:24Z")
Evidently, 9 karat gold is very popular in the UK and EC countries, but I’ll be damned if I can find it over here. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101/7 "2001-06-01T04:54:49Z")
Being married to an Indian woman, I can tell you no self-respecting Indian would ever consider accepting anything other than 22K. 18K? they sneer upon you. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101/8 "2001-06-01T09:11:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\*Evidently, 9 karat gold is very popular in the UK and EC countries, but I’ll be damned if I can find it over here. \*\* 9 karat gold, at only 37.5% pure, is the lowest grade still legaly considered gold in the UK. My guess would be that in the US 10 karat (still only 41.6% pure) is the lower legal limit. 9 karat is popular here because it is so cheap (and usualy nasty, IMHO) ---
**Author:** ![excitableboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@excitableboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/excitableboy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2001, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-14-18-24-karat-gold/67101/9 "2001-06-01T16:04:36Z")
10K is the lowest % considered “Karat Gold” in the U.S. Essentially, all this means is that as long as you label the contents, you can get away with anything you want. Karat clad: Trade name for gold coating of at least 100 microinches R.G.P.: Rolled gold plate- metal upon which gold of at least 10k has been applied, the weight of the Karat gold being less than 1/20th the total weight of the article. Gold Filled: Same as above with heavier relative weight of Karat gold Heavy Gold Electroplate: A plating of not less than 100 millionths of an inch of Karat gold. etc.,etc.,etc. It would be plausible to assume I could market, say, 7 Karat gold, but: 1: My gold would not satisfy any of the above or other processes requiring “karat gold”. 2: With a low percentage of gold throughout the metal, you are robbed of gold’s natural brightness. It would make better looking jewelry to use gold filled or another process that keeps a high % of gold near the surface.