Of the gold alloys commonly used to make fine jewelry, 10 karat gold (10k gold) is the least pure. At only 41.7% gold content, it contains more alloy metals than pure gold.
This low purity composition comes with both advantages and drawbacks. This guide covers the key characteristics of 10k gold to help you decide if it’s the right precious metal for you.
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How Much Gold is in 10K?
10k gold contains 41.7% gold, meaning that gold makes up less than half its weight. Of the four most well-known gold purities in the United States – 10k, 14k, 18k and 24k – 10k gold is the most impure.
The name 10 karat or 10k comes from the karatage system, which divides an alloy into 24 parts called karats. The more pure gold in the alloy, the higher its karat number. 10 karats out of 24 is equivalent to 41.7% gold.
You can also describe 10k gold as 417 fine. This simply means that 417 parts out of 1000 are pure gold.
10k gold is traditionally considered less “special” than higher purity golds, more suited for everyday pieces than for emotionally significant ones like engagement rings, wedding bands, or anniversary jewelry.
| Karatage | Parts | Fineness | Purity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24K Gold | 24 of 24 | 999 of 1000 | 99.9% |
| 18K Gold | 18 of 24 | 750 of 1000 | 75% |
| 14K Gold | 14 of 24 | 583 of 1000 | 58.3% |
| 10K Gold | 10 of 24 | 417 of 1000 | 41.7% |
How Much is 10k Gold Worth?
Despite its reputation as “casual” or “cheap”, 10k gold is still made (at least partly) with pure gold, one of the rarest and most valuable elements on the planet.
Due to the high desirability of gold, 10k gold jewelry retains some of its value after purchase. This means you can sell your 10k jewelry to a jeweler or scrap metal recycler if you no longer want it.
10k gold’s resale value depends on various factors like the weight of your piece, gold’s current market price, and what a particular buyer is willing to pay.
As a general guide, you can expect to get between $20 to $30 per gram of 10k gold. The price of gold is constantly fluctuating however, so do your research before agreeing to an offer.
Comparing Common Gold Purity Levels
Should you choose 10k gold or aim for a higher gold karat number? As with many things in both jewelry and life, it depends on the situation and what you’re hoping to achieve.
14k vs. 10k
14 karat gold contains 58.3% gold content. The most popular gold karatage by far, it accounts for most of the gold jewelry sales made in the United States, and is especially associated with engagement and wedding rings.
Karatages below 14k, such as 10k gold, are often viewed as too impure to be appropriate for engagement rings and other meaningful jewelry. Its higher purity and value are key reasons why 14k gold is more popular than 10k gold.
On the other hand, 10k gold is stronger and more durable. This is an important consideration for rings and bracelets, as jewelry worn on the hands is subject to higher wear and tear. If you work with your hands or have active hobbies, 10k jewelry could be the right choice.
Another point to consider is that 10k and 14k golds can differ in appearance, even when they’re the same color. 10k yellow gold is typically paler than 14k yellow because it contains less gold.
Similarly, 10k white gold is often whiter than 14k white gold as it has higher white metal content, and 10k rose gold can appear pinker than 14k rose gold due to having more copper and silver.
18k vs. 10k
18 karat gold contains 75% gold content. It’s the purest gold karatage typically used for engagement rings and other fine jewelry.
Alloys of higher purity than 18k are less favored for jewelry making, as they’re considered too soft to resist scratching and deformation.
While 18k gold isn’t as hard as 10k gold, an 18k ring is usually sturdy enough for most people in most situations. (Though you should probably take yours off before you climb a mountain, take an ax to a woodpile, or do anything else that involves your hands rubbing or striking against hard surfaces.)
Because gold is one of the densest elements and 18k is 75% pure gold, it’s noticeably heavier than 10k gold. If you put a 18k gold ring on one finger and a 10k gold ring of the same size on another, you’ll feel the difference in weight.
As well as being lighter, 10k gold also makes for much more affordable jewelry than 18k gold due to its significantly lower gold content.
24k vs. 10k
24 karat gold is pure gold. For gold to be classified as 24k, it must be at least 99.9% pure.
However, you’ll be hard pressed to find 24k gold jewelry in stores. Jewelers and consumers both shy away from jewelry purer than 18k, deeming it too soft, too expensive, and too impractical for everyday wear.
At least, this is the case in the United States and other Western countries. In some Asian countries such as China, 24k gold jewelry is held in high esteem. India also values high purity gold pieces (though Indian gold jewelry is more often 22k than 24k).
24k gold is a deep, almost orangy yellow. This is the natural color of pure gold. Western consumers, however, are accustomed to and generally prefer the paler shades of lower purity yellow golds.
Because 10k gold is not pure gold like 24k, it can come in multiple colors. These are most commonly yellow, white, and rose golds, which are achieved by mixing pure gold with other metals to dilute or change its color.
Due to its low purity, 10k gold is also much cheaper, lighter, and sturdier than 24k gold.
Exploring Different 10 Karat Colors
While all 10 karat gold is by definition 41.7% pure, not all 10k golds look and behave the same. The properties of 10k gold jewelry can vary according to its alloy composition and color.
10k Yellow Gold
10k yellow gold is composed of 41.7% gold and 58.3% other metals, typically silver and copper.
The high proportion of these harder elements makes 10k yellow gold a robust and hard-wearing jewelry metal, able to endure significant wear without scratching, denting or bending out of shape.
However, its high copper and silver content comes with a drawback. Gold doesn’t tarnish, but copper and silver both can. This puts 10k yellow gold at greater risk of tarnishing than alloys that contain more gold.
That’s not to say that your 10k yellow gold necessarily will tarnish – it’s just more likely to compared to higher purity alloys like 14k and 18k.
Like most karatages of yellow gold, 10k yellow is a low maintenance metal. The most you’ll need to do is clean it at home in warm soapy water if it starts looking dull, and take it for professional cleaning and polishing if it becomes scratched or tarnished over the years.
Most 10k yellow gold rings can be easily resized by a qualified jeweler (unless the ring design is complex). Which may come in handy down the line since your ring size can change over time.
10k White Gold
10k white gold is 41.7% gold with the remaining content consisting of either palladium or nickel, plus copper and sometimes silver and/or zinc.
Because palladium is a precious metal, white gold made with palladium is more expensive than white gold made with nickel. However, wearing nickel can trigger allergic reactions in some people, so such alloys are best avoided if your skin is sensitive to nickel.
The high white metals content in 10k white gold is what “bleaches” out the gold’s natural yellow color. The yellow can’t be completely removed through alloying, so most white gold jewelry (of any karat grade) is electroplated with rhodium to make it whiter.
A member of the platinum metals family, rhodium is even whiter and shinier than platinum itself. Rhodium plating not only brightens the appearance of 10k white gold jewelry, it provides a layer of additional protection against scratching and potential metal allergies.
The downside is that this rhodium layer is extremely thin, so it will wear off over time – typically within 1-2 years of daily wear for a ring (though your mileage may vary). It also doesn’t wear off evenly, resulting in the appearance of discolored patches.
Giving a patchy white gold ring a fresh coat of rhodium generally costs around $60 to $120, though some jewelry vendors offer free lifetime replatings.
In any case, rhodium plated 10k white gold requires more upkeep than 10k unplated white gold and other colors of 10k gold. As well as periodic replatings, it requires special care and handling to maximize the lifespan of its rhodium coating.
For instance, when cleaning rhodium plated jewelry at home, you should avoid scrubbing it with a toothbrush. This cleaning method is fine for other types of gold pieces, but it may damage rhodium plated ones.
Unplated white gold, on the other hand, has the same low maintenance requirements as yellow gold. While not as popular, it still has fans among those who prefer their white gold to have a bit of warmth and vintage charm, rather than the mirror-bright modern aesthetic of rhodium.
10k Rose Gold
10k rose gold is 41.7% gold, with about two thirds of the remaining 58.3% being copper and the other third being silver.
The reddish color of rose gold comes from its copper content, which silver softens to a rosy pinkish hue.
As with 10k yellow gold, the high proportions of copper and silver in 10k rose gold makes it more vulnerable to tarnishing. Tarnish typically manifests as a darkish patina on the metal’s surface. This patina isn’t harmful to your rose gold, and in fact can give it an appealing antique look.
But if you don’t like it, you can pay a jeweler to professionally remove any tarnished areas. Don’t try to DIY this at home – it might damage your jewelry.
Apart from the possibility of tarnish, 10k rose gold is about as low maintenance as 10k yellow and unplated 10k white gold. It’s sturdy, hard-wearing, and generally simple to look after.
However, 10k rose has a couple of downsides. For one, rose gold rings are more likely to crack while being resized, which may limit your options if your finger size changes.
For another, the high copper content in 10k rose gold can be problematic if your skin is sensitive to copper. But this is unlikely, since allergic reactions to copper are much rarer and milder than reactions to nickel.
Should You Buy 10k Gold?
In terms of practicality and price, 10k gold is a solid choice in any color. We’ve summarized below the major reasons why someone might choose 10k over other karat types.
- 10k yellow gold: Hard to beat if you’re looking for durable everyday pieces with a classic gold appearance at an accessible price point.
- 10k white gold: Since most white gold is rhodium plated, nobody can tell whether the gold you’re wearing is low or high purity. So you can save money by buying 10k white gold jewelry that looks the same as 14k or 18k.
- 10k rose gold: With its pretty color plus minimal upkeep requirements and affordability, rose gold is another great choice for daily wear.
On the other hand, here are some reasons you might want to give 10k gold a miss and invest in higher karat gold jewelry instead.
- Lower gold content and value: With its inimitable luster and precious metal status, gold is what makes gold jewelry valuable and special. The gold content of 10k is less than 50% by weight.
- A less impressive appearance: 10k gold can seem dull and subdued, especially when viewed next to high purity alloys that better showcase gold’s unique beauty. (Not an issue if your 10k white is rhodium plated, though.)
- More prone to tarnishing and discoloration: The result of containing greater concentrations of copper and other tarnishable alloy metals. This is especially true for 10k rose gold.
- Limited options for engagement rings: Jewelers tend not to “waste” their best quality diamonds and gemstones by setting them in a low karat gold like 10k. Premium stones more often find their way into 14k or 18k settings.
FAQs About 10k Gold
Is 10k gold good quality?
While 10k gold is a real gold alloy, it’s generally not considered good quality. Containing only 41.7% gold, 10k is the least pure of the karat golds used for making jewelry. Its low gold purity level makes 10k gold affordable, but can also give it a duller appearance compared to purer forms of gold.
How can I identify genuine 10k gold?
The easiest way to identify real 10k gold jewelry is to check the piece for a quality mark. 10k jewelry is typically stamped with marks that read 10K, 10 Karat, or 417. If your jewelry doesn’t have a mark, you can take it to a jeweler for professional appraisal.
Can I wear 10k gold in the shower?
It’s safe to wear 10k gold in the shower. But keep in mind that soap and shampoo residues can build up on the surface of your gold, reducing its shine. To prevent this, make sure you thoroughly rinse any suds from your jewelry, and dry it completely with a soft towel or cloth.
Will 10k gold tarnish or fade?
10k gold is more likely to tarnish than higher karat golds like 18k and 14k, because it contains less gold and more alloy metals that are susceptible to tarnishing – particularly copper.
However, 10k gold doesn’t fade in color. If your 10k gold looks more dull or discolored than it used to, it has probably tarnished, accumulated a collection of tiny scratches, or simply become a bit dirty. Cleaning or polishing will restore its appearance.
For rhodium plated 10k white gold, discoloration is often the result of the rhodium beginning to wear off, and a sign that your jewelry needs replating.
Where can I buy 10k gold?
Because it’s so affordable, 10k gold is popular and easy to find. Most jewelry stores, both physical and online, have 10k gold offerings to meet market demand. Luxury jewelry stores like Cartier and Tiffany are an exception, as these high-end brands work only with 18k gold.
Thanks for reading! If you’re interested in learning about a more premium but still relatively affordable type of gold, then check out our write-up on 14k gold next.