Knowledge base
Carat and fineness explained
How much gold is in 14 or 18 carat, what do 585, 750 and 925 mean, and how do you recognise the fineness from the hallmarks?
Carat: parts of 24
Carat indicates how many of the 24 parts are pure gold. 24 carat is (almost) pure gold; 18 carat is 18/24 = 75% gold. In Europe the fineness is usually stamped on the jewellery in thousandths.
| Carat | Stamp | Gold content | Metal value per gram now |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 carat | 999.9 | 100.0% | €115.09 |
| 22 carat | 916 | 91.6% | €105.44 |
| 18 carat | 750 | 75.0% | €86.33 |
| 14 carat | 585 | 58.5% | €67.34 |
| 9 carat | 375 | 37.5% | €43.16 |
| 8 carat | 333 | 33.3% | €38.33 |
Silver finenesses
Silver is only marked in thousandths: 925 (sterling silver) is 92.5% silver, 835 and 800 are common on older Dutch and German items, and Dutch coin silver is usually 720. Fine silver for bars is 999.
Hallmarks
Besides the fineness stamp, a European piece of jewellery often carries an assay office mark and a maker's mark. If in doubt, have it tested: a goldsmith or gold buyer can determine the fineness with a touchstone or an X-ray analyser.
Fineness in your web shop
In ZilverGoudPrijs you choose the fineness per product or variation from a list (from 333 to 999.9) or enter your own. The price is then calculated automatically on the actual gold or silver weight.