24K vs 22K Gold

Karat is a measure of purity out of 24 parts. 24K gold is 24 parts gold out of 24 — 99.9% pure, the standard for investment bars and the benchmark every gold price is quoted against. 22K gold is 22 parts gold and 2 parts other metals, usually copper and silver — 91.67% pure. The two missing parts are not a flaw; they are the point. Pure gold is remarkably soft: a 24K ring bends out of shape, scratches easily and wears down with daily use. Alloying it with a little copper or silver makes it hard enough to wear every day while keeping the deep yellow colour that makes gold jewellery desirable.

The price difference follows directly from the purity. 22K gold contains 91.67% as much gold as the same weight of 24K, so it costs 91.67% of the 24K price — the table above shows the exact figures at today’s spot. The same arithmetic gives 21K at 87.5% and 18K at 75% of the 24K price. One practical consequence: when a shop quotes a 22K price that is much more than 91.67% of the 24K price, the extra is making charges and margin, not metal — and it is worth asking how much of the price is gold and how much is craftsmanship.

Which purity should you buy?

It depends entirely on what the gold is for. For investment — bars, coins, anything you plan to sell later by weight — buy 24K: it holds the most gold per dollar, it is the most liquid form worldwide, and its price tracks the spot directly. For bridal and everyday jewellery, buy the purity your market standardises on: 22K across South Asia and the Gulf, 21K in much of the Middle East and Egypt, 18K in Europe and the Americas. Those standards exist because jewellers, buyers and resale markets all agree on them — a 22K bangle in Karachi or Dubai can be resold anywhere in the region at a known rate, while an unusual purity is harder to value. And always check the hallmark: 916 stamped on a piece means 22K, 875 means 21K, 750 means 18K, and 999 means 24K. For the per-country rates in each purity, see the gold price by country table and the dedicated pages for 24K gold, 22K gold, 21K gold and 18K gold.