24K vs 22K vs 18K Gold: What the Karat Really Means

Karat is simply a way of saying how much of a piece is pure gold. Pure gold is 24 karat. A 22K piece is 22 parts gold and 2 parts other metal, so 22 divided by 24, or about 91.6% gold. An 18K piece is 18 parts in 24, which is 75%.

Purity at a glance

Why not make everything in 24K?

Pure gold is very soft. A 24K chain would bend, scratch and lose its shape, and it cannot hold the fine detail that Indian jewellery is known for. Jewellers mix in copper, silver or zinc to make the metal harder. The mix also changes the colour: more copper gives a warmer, rosier tone, while silver gives a paler yellow.

How the price differs

The price per gram follows the gold content. 22K costs roughly 91.6% of the 24K rate, and 18K costs about 75%. If 24K is ₹10,000 per gram, 22K would be about ₹9,160 and 18K about ₹7,500. You can see today's actual figures on our gold rate page.

Which one should you buy?

For investment: 24K coins or bars. You pay for the gold itself, with little added for design, and purity is easy to verify.

For everyday and wedding jewellery: 22K is the usual choice in India. It is rich in colour and still strong enough to wear.

For diamonds and lightweight pieces: 18K. It is tougher than 22K, which helps hold stones securely, and it costs less per gram.

One thing to watch

When you sell old jewellery, you are paid for the pure gold content, not for the design or the making charge you paid. A 22K necklace therefore fetches less per gram than a 24K coin of the same weight. Plan on that if you think you may resell.

Frequently asked questions