Gold Reference

Know the metal behind the jewelry.

The Karat Club publishes the market reference for fine gold so you can see the metal layer of every piece. It is one input into value — not the price of a finished chain.

Karat, explained.

Karat describes how much of the alloy is fine gold. The rest is other metals that give a chain its colour, strength and wear.

10K
.417 · 41.7% fine
Durable, most affordable fine-gold tier.
14K
.585 · 58.5% fine
The everyday standard for chains in the US.
18K
.750 · 75% fine
Richer colour, softer, higher metal content.
22K
.917 · 91.7% fine
High fine-gold content, traditional markets.
24K
.999 · 99.9% fine
Effectively pure gold; rarely used for wear.

Per-gram figures above are the metal reference for one gram of that alloy at the current fine gold reference. They exclude manufacturing and every other cost.

Retail price is not metal value

The difference between a jewelry price and its metal reference is not retailer profit. It covers manufacturing, labour, finishing, distribution, inventory carrying, verification, seller margin, brand value and other costs.

How we use this reference

Fine-gold content establishes the base layer of Club valuation. Qualifying jewelry may receive additional value based on construction, condition, marketability and other factors. Completed transactions keep the market reference recorded at the time of the transaction — later market moves do not change them.

Gold market references are provided for transparency and may change throughout the day. Jewelry prices, Exchange offers and Karat Credit values may include additional factors and may use a snapshotted market reference at the time of a transaction.