#1 18K Gold Jewelry Buyer Las Vegas & Henderson

What Is An 18k Gold

Gold karat is a measure of how much of the precious metal is contained in a piece made with it. An 18 karat gold is made up of 75% gold and 25% alloy. Expressed as a percentage, 18K gold is 75% pure gold. This type of gold is referred to as 18 karat because 18 out of the 24 parts that make up the gold are pure gold. 18K gold consists of 18 parts pure gold mixed with 6 parts other metals. Depending on the color of the gold (for example, white gold, yellow gold or rose gold), these metals could include nickel, silver, copper, zinc and palladium. 18k gold is usually the most pure form of gold used for rings, watches and other wearable jewelry.

18K Gold As A Jewelry

18K gold jewelry is made with gold alloy, which contains 75% pure gold and 25% other metals like copper and zinc. The solid and pure gold we always called 24K gold. 18k gold means 18 parts are pure gold and 6 parts are other metals. An 18k gold jewelry has a rich yellow appearance that makes it an attractive material for engagement rings and other jewelry. Since 18k gold is almost pure, there’s very little risk of jewelry made using this material causing any skin irritation if you have a nickel allergy.

18k Gold Plated Jewelry

The 18K gold plated Jewelry is not made of gold but base metal or silver applied with a layer of 18K gold by chemical or electrochemical plating. It is a very popular way to make jewelry with a gold richness color, based on its excellence in hardness and reasonable price, 18K gold plated jewelry becomes competitive in today’s jewelry market and very desirable and pleasure to wear. The base metal in that situation is usually a copper or silver, which are much more affordable than any gold alloys. However, gold plated jewelry is made by using electricity or chemicals to deposit a very thin layer of gold over that other base metal. The very important thing about this process is that we can create a golden layer as thin as 1/1000 to 3/1000 of an inch.

Different Colors Of 18K Gold

These are the different colors of 18k gold:

  • Yellow gold is naturally occurring and is the purest form of the metal. For jewelry, it is made into an alloy by combining pure gold with metals such as zinc and copper. The 18K yellow gold is more valuable, purer, and heavier. It is popular world-wide and has rich, buttery tone
  • White gold is a metal that has grown in popularity over the years. It is mixed with palladium or nickel to give it a color close to silver or platinum.18k white gold looks better than 14k gold is because it has a higher gold content; the gold content of a 14k white gold ring is 58.3% gold, and 41.7% other metals that are used to change the color of the gold from yellow to white, as well as make the ring more durable, because pure gold is extremely soft and thus is not suitable for jewelry items which are worn every day. The gold content of 18k white gold is 75% which is why it costs more than 14k white gold, the lower percentage of other metals makes 18k white gold jewelry less prone to oxidization, which means that 18k white gold rings tend to look whiter and brighter than 14k white gold rings; it also makes 18k white gold a better choice for people who suffer from metal allergies.
  • Rose gold is the most affordable type of gold because it’s mixed with copper to give it the rose color. Rose gold is an alloy including about 25% copper, which gives it a pinkish color. The 18k rose gold ring have more of a yellow cast. This is because 18k rose gold contains more pure gold. Like 18k white gold or yellow gold, 18k rose gold contains 75% pure gold. The result is a softer, more malleable jewelry metal that contains a higher quantity of gold and therefore costs more.
  • Green gold is made by combining silver, gold, and occasionally copper. The silver in the mixing of the metals that causes the green look. Green gold is best described as yellow gold with a slightly greenish hint. Green gold is noticeable when it is used in a piece of jewelry next to areas of yellow, white, and pink gold. The classic mixture that produces green gold is an alloy of pure yellow gold and pure silver, though for rings, harder metals such as nickel or zinc are sometimes added to make the gold more durable. 18k green gold would contain eighteen parts yellow gold and six parts silver.

Advantages and Disadvantages of 18K Gold

Here are the advantages of 18K Gold:

  • The 18K gold’s biggest advantage is its purity. As the purest form of gold that’s practical to use in an engagement ring, an 18K gold ring offers the gorgeous appearance of near-pure gold with most of the practical benefits of an alloy.
  • This extra purity can be especially obvious with 18K white or rose gold, which tends to show a  warmer, more vibrant tone in 18K than in 14K gold. The 18K white gold or rose gold will differ in color as rhodium plating is used for white gold, and copper is used in the alloy mixture to create 18K rose gold.
  • Another benefit of 18K gold jewelry is that it’s hypoallergenic. Although 18K gold still contains nickel and other alloy metals, they’re only present in small quantities, making the risk of contact dermatitis or other allergic reactions very small.

Here are the disadvantages of 18K Gold:

  • First disadvantage of 18k gold, since it’s quite pure, is it’s fairly easy to scratch jewelry made using 18k gold. If you’re active or work in a setting where your ring might bump into hard surfaces, 18k gold might not be the best choice.
  • The 18k gold is also significantly more expensive than other types of gold. Compared to a 14k gold ring, which looks similar but not quite as bright or saturated, you’ll usually need to pay upwards of twice as much for an 18k ring.
  • The downside of 18K gold is that it is softer and less durable than less pure alloys. For example, a 10K or 14K gold ring will wear down more slowly than an 18K piece, which will scratch and bend more easily.

18K VS. 24K Gold

The 24k gold is bright yellow, 99.9% to 100% pure gold that is not mixed with any other metal. Its purity makes it very soft and pliable — and therefore unsuitable for regular wear and use. To make gold more resilient, other metals are mixed with it during the manufacturing of jewelry and gold fixtures. While the 18k gold, for example, is 75% gold, with another 25% being of some other metal or mixture of metals. 18k gold is less expensive and more dully colored than pure gold.

24k gold is always a vivid, bright yellow. While the 18k gold comes in a wide range of colors, as it is an alloy, a metal mixed with other metals. Some common colored gold that is available in 18k purity includes rose gold (gold and copper) and white gold (usually nickel and gold).

18k gold, being mixed with other metals, is harder and stronger than pure, 24k gold, but its 75% gold content still makes it more susceptible to damage than 14k gold. Overall, care for both types of gold is relatively easy, but 24k gold jewelry should not be worn every day. Both can be tarnished when exposed to bleach, 24k gold especially.

The price of gold jewelry varies by design, craftsmanship and the alloys used, but as 24k contains more gold than 18k, it is usually more expensive.

How We Evaluate the Value of 18K Gold

  1. Gold Purity – The purity of gold is measured by its carats or karats. We’ll have to know what is the karat of the gold.
  2. Hallmarks – This is a system that determines and guarantees the gold’s purity.  These marks establish the origin and fineness of the precious metal and ensures it has been accurately and independently tested. In Hallmarking the metal and fineness mark for 18 carat is 750. The mark for 14 carat gold is 585. The mark for 9 carat is 375.
  3. The Gram Weight – The amount of grams in a gold is the measure of the gold content in the item. Knowing the gram weight of a gold will allow you to compare the amount of gold with other karats. After that, we’ll have to weigh the gold by its carats. A 14K gold will weigh more than a 10K gold of the same size because 14k has more gold content than 10K. Likewise, an 18K gold will weigh more than a 14K gold.
  4. Obtain the Market Price of Gold in Ounces – First is to check the market price of gold in ounces. If pure gold is selling for $1300 per ounce in the metal markets, then one gram is going for $41.80 ($1300/31.1g).

Price Quote for 18K Gold

These are the different estimated prices we pay for gold per weight:

  • Gold’s price per gram can cost up to $60.
  • Gold’s price per ounce can cost up to $1,740.
  • Gold’s price per kilo can cost up to $55,800.

These are the different prices we pay for gold per karat:

  • 6K Gold can cost up to $14
  • 8K Gold can cost up to $19
  • 9K Gold can cost up to $21
  • 10K Gold can cost up to $24
  • 12K Gold can cost up to $28
  • 14K Gold can cost up to $33
  • 16K Gold can cost up to $38
  • 18K Gold can cost up to $48
  • 21K Gold can cost up to $49
  • 22K Gold can cost up to $52
  • 23K Gold can cost up to $54
  • 24K Gold can cost up to $56

Prices are figured using troy oz scale and not standard oz. A troy ounce is 31.1034768 grams not the usual 28.3495 grams. If pure gold or 24K gold is selling for $1300 per ounce in the metal markets, then one gram is going for $41.80 ($1300/31.1g).

By Pennyweight

Here is an example on how we deal with 18K gold item weighing 3 dwt and we pay it for $135.

  • To get the pennyweight price, divide the daily gold price per troy ounce, $400, by 20. (1 troy ounce equals 20 dwt).
  • Thus, $400/20 = $20 per dwt.
  • To get the pure gold price for the item, multiply 3 dwt, the weight of the item, times $20.
  • Thus, 3 x $20 = $60. (This would be the price IF the item were 24K or 100% gold).
  • To get the 18K gold price for the item, multiply $60, the pure gold price, by 0.75. (Remember, 18K gold contains approximately 75% gold and 25% alloy).
  • Thus, $60 x 0.6 = $45.

So, the 3 dwt, 18K item contains $45 worth of gold, when gold sells at $400 per troy ounce.

If you have 18K gold and you would like to sell it, don’t hesitate to inquire and set an appointment with us. We are ready to buy your 18K gold. But if you are in search for 18K gold to buy, contact us and we’re ready to sell it to you! Message us now!

References: