14K gold

Karat measures gold purity in 24ths, and pure gold is 24K. So 14K gold is 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals: 58.3% gold and 41.7% alloy by weight. Canada's marking rules accept the spellings karat, carat, Kt., Ct., K and C, but the meaning is the same. It is also unrelated to the carat weight of a diamond, which is a unit of mass. The entry on karat covers the scale in full.

The other 41.7% sets the colour and much of the feel. Typical recipes: a yellow 14K with about 30% silver and 11.7% copper, a white 14K with about 32.2% silver and 9.5% palladium, and a rose 14K with about 32.5% copper and 9.2% silver. These are typical rather than the only way to reach a colour, so two 14K rings from different makers can differ a little in shade and hardness. Each colour has its own entry: yellow gold, white gold and rose gold.

Marking is optional. Nobody has to stamp a gold article, but any quality mark that is applied must be truthful and follow the Precious Metals Marking Regulations. For 14K the marks the Bureau lists are 14K (or another karat spelling), .583 and 583. A quality mark normally has to be accompanied by a trade-mark, with exceptions for items hallmarked under UK law or marked accurately under another country's laws.

You will often see 585 as well. The sum 14 divided by 24 gives .583, but most makers follow the European habit of rounding up to .585, so 585 is the stamp on most 14 carat jewellery. Whatever number is stamped, the regulations require the gold in the piece to match it.

They allow the real gold content to fall short of the marked quality by no more than 3 parts per 1,000 where no solder is used, or 7 parts per 1,000 where it is (regulations current to September 2026). Rounding is a small matter next to plating. The Bureau's inspection blitz, completed in April 2016 and reported that December, found about 5,000 pairs of earrings sold as 10 and 14-karat gold that were filled with plastic and covered with a layer of gold. Look for the stamp and the maker's mark, and ask for a receipt that describes the piece as 14K gold.

Often, and the reason is hardness. Pure gold is soft, and the World Gold Council notes that alloying is what gives it durability. Higher-karat gold is softer and more prone to scratches and dents, and 14K and 18K are suitable for everyday wear. A 14K ring carries 41.7% other metal against 25% in 18K gold, so as a rule it stands up better to everyday knocks, which matters for the prongs holding a diamond.

That is a rule of thumb, not a guarantee of any one ring. Hardness depends on the whole recipe as well as the karat, so ask which alloy a piece is cast in. The trade-off is colour: with less gold in the mix, 14K looks a little less rich than 18K. For a ring worn daily, many buyers accept that for the extra toughness.

The choice is a balance between gold content, hardness and colour. 10K gold has the most alloy and the least gold, 18K the reverse, and 14K sits in the middle. Which suits you depends on how the piece will be worn and how much the gold content and colour matter to you. The table sets out the gold content and the marks listed in Canada for each.

It depends on the alloy more than the karat, and white gold needs the most care. DermNet NZ advises people with nickel allergy that solid gold of 12 carat or more should be safe, and it also says white gold contains nickel. Both can be true, because "white gold" is a colour, not one recipe. The white gold entry explains the two commercial kinds, one whitened mainly with nickel and one with palladium. Accounts differ on how common nickel is in white gold. GIA lists nickel among the usual white gold metals, while the World Gold Council puts nickel-containing alloys at a small share of white gold alloys and gives a white 14K recipe of silver and palladium with no nickel.

So if you react to nickel and are considering white 14K, ask whether the piece is nickel-free, and have the alloy written on the receipt. This is general information, not medical advice.

If you are designing a ring or band, decide the colour and karat together, because they pull in different directions: 18K gives a richer colour, 14K gives more alloy and generally more toughness. Note your preferences in the design studio, then talk through the alloy at a showroom visit. The custom engagement rings service starts from your idea, and the wedding bands collection is a place to start looking.