# Is it true that Chinese gold jewelry is 24 karat? And the rest of Asia? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 25, 2004, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065 "2004-09-25T18:51:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/21 "2004-09-27T12:49:02Z")
Most of the gold sold in Thailand is near 24 karat. I’ve read that it’s really 23.8 karat, if that makes any sense, or damned near but not quite pure. They do sell some less “yellow” gold but it’s not nearly as popular. That’s because it’s not as much a commodity as the near pure stuff which is sold at the market price of gold with a very small markup, usually, for workmanship. So you can almost consider the jewelry a “Thai insurance policy”. My wife owns several pieces like this and so both my kids have 1-2 pieces as well. She doesn’t wear the stuff every day. The clasps are little U-shaped bends that you bend to get off and on. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/22 "2004-09-27T16:21:43Z")
Its the same in India and Pakistan. Anything less than 18 karat is seen as cheap. 18 karat is what you’d give to a kid for everyday jewellery. All of my jewellery that I’ve had from family as presents has either been 22 or 24 karat - you’d be classed as cheap if you gave anything less than that as a gift. Mind you, I much prefer silver. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2004, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/23 "2004-09-27T19:36:43Z")
> [@](#): > > I wonder if the addition of minute amounts of the right kind of metal, like those from the platinum group, could make near-24K stronger? Rather than from the platinum group, there are some claims that a “990 gold” alloy of 99% gold, 1% titanium is harder than pure gold, and can be work hardened to obtain something comparable to the lesser gold alloys in hardness: [http://www.gold.org/discover/sci\_indu/GBull/1999\_2/CORTI.PDF](http://www.gold.org/discover/sci_indu/GBull/1999_2/CORTI.PDF) (Note - pdf document) That’s a document with some details. You can find a lot of brief blurbs like this, too: > [@](#): > > A so-called “hard gold” is made by alloying it with one percent titanium (990 gold), which may be defined as 24 carat in some markets (such as chuk kam jewelery). from [http://www.artofplatinum.com/glossary/alloy.htm](http://www.artofplatinum.com/glossary/alloy.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Shannonrooo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shannonrooo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shannonrooo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/24 "2010-09-04T05:23:40Z")
I just purchased a lovely ring made in Thailand 24k.And I will say its nothing I have ever seen.The craftmenship is so remarkable for jewerly that it would put Shane Co,JVC to shame.I like to say I spent alot,but it was better then Kmart at 70% off.I bought this as my wedding ring.I was so sick of the same old same old.I am not much into diamonds,or fancies.But for different fire agates and lapils they can rock when put in creative art work!:)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/25 "2010-09-04T05:40:01Z")
I doubt if any jewelry is actually 24kt, but yes, a lot of Asian gold jewelry is 18-22kt, not 14kt. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24\_karat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_karat) _22/22K - a quality mark indicating the purity of gold most popularly used in India. This purity was adapted and practiced by the big jewellers and was later passed to jewel smiths. The first 22 signifies the “Skin purity”, the purity of the top layer of the gold jewelry, and the second 22 signifies that after melting purity of the gold jewellery will be 22-carat, or 91.67% of pure gold. … This symbol or stamp is very popular on the gold jewellery business in Asian countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Yemen, and Persian Gulf countries._ Even on eBay the only “24 karat gold” _jewelry_ is plated. Mind you, 22kt gold looks just like 24kt gold. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/26 "2010-09-04T08:09:03Z")
Who knew zombies were into bling ? ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/27 "2010-09-05T19:13:29Z")
Yeah, I got to the fifth post and saw it was by **Q.E.D.** , and thought, “_He_ hasn’t posted here in a while,” and then I remembered. Now I’m bummed. I miss **Q.E.D.** ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/28 "2010-09-05T20:11:09Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I doubt if any jewelry is actually 24kt, but yes, a lot of Asian gold jewelry is 18-22kt, not 14kt. I’m pretty familiar with gold jewelry and what karat it is. We buy quite a bit of 24K(.999 fine) gold chains which I believe come from Thailand and Hong Kong. Perhaps other places. Most from India is stamped 22ct. Also quite a bit from the mid-East is 21K. Some is 18K but flashed with 21-22. But, it’s almost always marked, sometimes in Arabic. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/29 "2010-09-05T20:40:11Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Who knew zombies were into bling ? Apparently, they are also [annoyed by certain commercials.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=24603) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/30 "2010-09-06T00:14:06Z")
My original wedding ring is from China and it is 24k. I did see a lot of 24k jewelry there, too. I got another one for daily use, as it is too soft. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/31 "2010-09-06T04:48:30Z")
> [@Testy](#): > > [QUOTE=Athena] > I dunno anything about Chinese gold, but I just wanted to say I do have some 22 carat and 24 carat gold. The 22 carat is in the form of a necklace and earrings; the 24 carat is a pair of earrings. Neither come from China - I bought all of them in Santa Fe, from jewelry stores that carry lines from specific artists. > > I love the look of 22 and 24 carat gold, and would love a 22 carat ring, but everyone tells me it’s a bad idea. ☹ What kind of ring? My wedding ring was from Thailand and was 24K. It did eventually break but only after 15 years of wearing it 24 X 7. I did bend it a lot when lifting weights but it always bent back into shape just fine. If you are talking about something with a setting then that would be a different matter. I also like the color and heft of pure or nearly pure, gold [/QUOTE] I don’t know diddley squat about gold, but my late mother-in-law did, and so do many others in the wife’s family. They, and others in Thailand, swear not all gold is the same here. They say many places mix in inferior grades. My mother-in-law selected our rings for us from one her usual shops in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Mine’s quite large, and it has lasted certainly for more than 15 years of wearing it 24/7. Dunno what carat it’s supposed to be. I guess it just depends on who made your ring and how ethical they were. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/32 "2010-09-06T12:56:21Z")
Hey! Zombie thread! For the record, I did end up getting a ring, but it’s only 19.2 carat. It’s plenty purdy. I’ve also managed to acquire a 24 carat bracelet since this thread was started 6 years ago. Go me! ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/33 "2010-09-06T14:17:42Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Most of the gold sold in Thailand is near 24 karat. I’ve read that it’s really 23.8 karat, if that makes any sense, or damned near but not quite pure. Googling suggests it’s closer to 23.2 karat, but in any event it’s too pure for the nicer delicate designs to maintain their integrity for long. ☹ I remember a Thai woman showing me a Valentine’s present from her Thai husband: He’d bought her a Western-style 18-karat item, but she confided to me that her husband didn’t understand Thai culture! 😃 I also remember a Thai jeweler telling me that while 18-karat gold purchased in Thailand wouldn’t really be 75% gold – they’d be “Thai karats” – that 24 was a special case, and 24k gold really was 24-karat! ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/34 "2010-09-06T17:20:29Z")
My wife has beautiful 24-karat gold bracelet that was given to her by her parents when we got engaged. She wore it only on our wedding day; since then it sits in a safe. It’s much too valuable (and damageable) to wear every day. She is Chinese. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/35 "2010-09-06T19:33:16Z")
There is a lot of 24K gold jewelery in Colombia. See link: [http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?SearchText=24k+gold+bracelets&IndexArea=product\_en&ssk=y&src=Google&albch=Google&albcp=Search\_search-others-naixiao1&albkw=24k%20gold%20bracelets\_Others-Search-Product-Test\_site\_no&albag=buydir\_none\_timepieces-jewelry-eyewear-24k%20gold%20bracelet\_product&albmt=Broad&albst=search&albom=Others\_None\_20100122&tiaozhuan=no](http://www.alibaba.com/trade/search?SearchText=24k+gold+bracelets&IndexArea=product_en&ssk=y&src=Google&albch=Google&albcp=Search_search-others-naixiao1&albkw=24k%20gold%20bracelets_Others-Search-Product-Test_site_no&albag=buydir_none_timepieces-jewelry-eyewear-24k%20gold%20bracelet_product&albmt=Broad&albst=search&albom=Others_None_20100122&tiaozhuan=no) ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065/36 "2010-09-07T02:43:15Z")
My wedding ring (bought in China) is 24K gold (or at least it says it is). It bends very easily but I do wear it every day. Never had a problem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-chinese-gold-jewelry-is-24-karat-and-the-rest-of-asia/266065.md?page=1)