Creating Fine Jewelry in New York City Since 1980

About Gold Jewelry

At Mondi, we use only solid 14K gold or above in all of our jewelry. 

Pure gold, also referred to as 24 karat or 24K, is very soft and pliable and is generally considered to be unsuitable for jewelry. In order to make gold jewelry that is durable and long lasting, gold is combined with other metals--called alloys--to make it stronger and change its color. In an attempt to achieve the best balance between the strength of alloys and the valuable and desirable properties of gold, three different karat gold combinations have become standard: 10K, 14K, and 18K. 

18K gold contains 75% gold and 25% alloy. 18K gold is the softest and purist of these three karat golds and is the most expensive because of its high gold content. It is typically used where a richer yellow color is desired.  Although it is the softest of the three karat golds, it is still hard enough to be used for rings and wedding bands. 18K gold jewelry may show wear marks sooner and wear out slightly faster than 14K gold. 

14K gold contains 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy. 14K gold is the most common type of gold in the United States.  It is generally considered to be the ideal karat gold for rings and wedding bands because it is strong yet will not easily tarnish. Approximately 90% of all the gold engagement rings and wedding bands sold in the United States are made with 14K gold. 

10K gold contains 41.7% gold and 58.3% alloy. 10K gold is the only karat gold that contains more alloy than gold. 10K gold is paler in color has much less shine than 14K gold and is generally not suitable for use in fine jewelry. 

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