What the Marking on your Gold Ring Means

Diamond gold band rings are not hard to spot if you keep the established individuals. If you do get the opportunity to examine one you may notice that the band is engraved with tiny numbers and/or letters. This is not something most consumers are aware of, but it does hold significance among investors and jewelers, and would-be owner if they ever tried selling the piece.

Gold is used in varying concentrations for crafting diamond jewelry. Usually gold can be found at 14k, 18k, and 24k. The “k” stands for karat, which is a measure of purity. 14k and 18k are more frequently used because while less pure, they are physically harder and more resistant to being crushed. 24 karat gold, on the other hand, is too malleable to be used in a lot of jewelry pieces.

14 karat gold is about 58.5% pure gold, meaning that for every 14 parts of gold, there are 10 parts of other metals present in what is essentially an alloy. The same math says 18 karat gold is 75% pure, while 24 karat gold is 99% pure.