You’ve probably heard of the term karat (abbreviated K or kt), which refers to the most often used measure of gold purity. Karat is a measuring scale that spans from 0 to 24. As a result, a piece of jewellery with a purity of one karat is made up of one part gold and 23 parts other metals or alloys, as seen in the diagram. Alternatively, purity can be stated as a percentage or as a number of parts per thousand. You may convert karats to percentages using the formula below. Divide the carat value by 24 and multiply by 100. Divide 20 by 24, for example, to find out how much gold is in your 20-karat ring. This results in an 83.33% gold content (or 0.8333% gold content) (which also translates to 833 parts per thousand).
Before a jeweller or gold trader buys a gold item, the metal is tested to confirm its purity. This is the only method for determining whether or not an object is totally comprised of gold. A touchstone, as well as various dilutions of nitric acid in varying concentrations, are included in an essay test kit. Slate, a black acid-resistant rock with black colour, serves as the touchstone. The goldsmith uses the touchstone to mark the gold object by softly rubbing it across it. They then alternate between spreading the mark with each of the acid solutions. The higher the concentration of gold in a metal, the less likely it is to be destroyed by acid.
How to Use the Karat Number to Determine the Purity of Gold
If you want to know how much gold is in your jewellery, you’ll need to know its carat weight. Learn how to count the number of karats in your gold to determine its purity. If you’ve never done it before, acquiring gold may appear to be a typical and uncomplicated activity. Your gold buy may turn out to be a complete waste of money due to your lack of knowledge about the metal you are getting. Buying gold is not a risk for the faint of heart. It is, on the other hand, not a difficult task. A few simple actions can help you ensure that your purchase is genuine and valued.
How do you know if gold is pure if you’re buying or already have some?
Examining the purity of gold jewellery or coins before acquiring them is a basic and uncomplicated procedure. To assure the purity of gold purchased from authorised merchants or online platforms, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), a government organisation that verifies gold purity, labels each piece of gold with precise information. If you check for this information or the Hallmark, you may be guaranteed that the gold you’re purchasing is pure. The hallmarking procedure is required by the British Institute of Standards (BIS) to safeguard the general public from tampering and to compel gold makers to conform with legal fineness and purity criteria. The BIS should analyse the following four qualities of hallmarked gold jewellery to confirm that it is made of pure gold:
The jeweller’s signature can be seen here.
When you make a purchase in the shop or online, you will be given a piece of gold jewellery with the business’s or website’s emblem on it. A jeweller or jewellery producer who has been approved by the BIS may show this mark.
The Bureau of Industry and Security’s Symbol/Logo
When you see the BIS emblem on a piece of BIS-hallmarked gold jewellery, it implies that its purity has been independently certified by a BIS-licensed laboratory. This insignia will appear on every piece of jewellery or cash you purchase, making it easy to identify the item you purchased in the first place. An organisation that has received official approval The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the only organisation in India authorised to stamp gold objects with their purity and authenticity.
Furthermore, not all jewellers offer BIS-hallmarked jewellery, as it is absolutely voluntary. This does not discourage a limited number of local jewellers from selling items with uncertified in-house hallmarking. You must thus ensure that any gold jewellery you wish to acquire bears the BIS logo before proceeding with your purchase.
Two significant criteria to examine are karat and fineness
The second mark, in addition to certifying the karat (denoted by the letters KT or K) and fineness number, ensures the amount of pure gold contained inside the jewellery. Because 24K gold is soft, metal alloys such as silver and zinc are added, resulting in a more durable gold that may be used to make jewellery. As of January 1, 2017, only 22K gold, 18K gold, and 14K gold will be eligible to bear a hallmark, according to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Prior to this, there were other levels of hallmarking accessible, including 23, 21, 17, and 9, but they have all been phased away.
The Assaying and Hallmarking Center has signed this document
The third mark on your jewellery is the emblem of the laboratory that examined the purity of the gold used to produce it. Only BIS-licensed laboratories are permitted to conduct purity checks on the product and to affix their mark to it. You may visit their website and conduct the necessary research to establish whether or not a certain hallmarking centre is licenced by the BIS.
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