How Much Do You Know About Gold Purity?
In our nearly seventy years of experience buying and selling gold at 萬盛珠寶金行, we've found that when customers consider recycling their gold, the question they ask most often is about gold "purity." What exactly is gold purity, and how does it affect your gold recycling price? Simply put, gold purity refers to the proportion of pure gold content in a gold item. Because pure gold is soft, jewelers usually alloy it with other metals (such as copper, silver, and zinc) to increase its hardness and durability — this is why we see different karats of gold on the market.
Karat Gold vs. Full Gold: Very Different Purity Standards
There are two common gold purity markings on the market: karat gold and full gold. Karat Gold is the internationally recognized unit for measuring gold purity, with 24K being the highest purity, representing 99.9% or more pure gold. Common karats include 18K gold (75% pure gold), 14K gold (58.5% pure gold), and 9K gold (37.5% pure gold), with the remainder being other metals. In contrast, "full gold" is a term more commonly used in Hong Kong and Chinese communities, usually referring to gold with a purity of 99.9% or above, also known as "999 gold" or "9999 gold." Understanding these different markings is the first step in determining the value of gold.
How Does Purity Affect the Gold Recycling Price?
This is a crucial question. The calculation of the gold recycling price is mainly based on the weight of the "pure gold" content. In other words, whether your gold jewelry is 18K gold or full gold, the recycler will ultimately only pay for the pure gold it contains. This explains why "the higher the gold content, the closer the theoretical recycling price is to the full gold price." For example, in an 18K gold item, only 75% of each gram's weight is pure gold, whereas in a full gold item, almost the entire weight of each gram is pure gold. Therefore, at the same weight, the recycling price of full gold jewelry will naturally be much higher than that of 18K gold jewelry.
Professional Assessment by 萬盛珠寶金行
At 萬盛珠寶金行, we have nearly seventy years of professional experience and are equipped with advanced testing instruments to accurately measure your gold's purity. We fully understand how important gold recycling is to you, so we provide transparent and fair assessments to ensure you recycle your gold at the most reasonable price. Our experts will explain your gold's purity in detail and offer you a competitive recycling quote based on the day's international gold price and the actual gold content. Choosing 萬盛 means choosing not only a jewelry and gold shop with an outstanding reputation, but also peace of mind and trust.