Types of Gold in 2025: Carat, Purity & Colours Explained

By Team Gullak

Jun 9, 2025

6 min read

Gold has always held a special place in our lives, primarily as jewellery, a symbol of wealth, and a store of value. But over time, its role has expanded. Today, Gold isn’t just worn — it’s also invested in, embedded in electronics, used in medicine, and even launched into space. This wide-ranging demand has led to the emergence of different types of gold, each tailored for specific uses.

In this article, we’ll classify gold based on three key attributes: Purity, usage in jewellery and color.

Why Different Types of Gold Exist

The need for versatility is what drives gold’s many forms. From heirloom necklaces to high-tech circuitry, different applications demand different properties — like hardness, durability, purity, or even just colour.

Here’s why it matters:

Jewellery: Needs to be sturdy, stylish, and wearable daily — which is why it's often mixed with other metals.

Investments: Gold bars and coins are valued for their purity and standardisation.

Industrial use: Fields like electronics and medicine rely on gold’s conductivity and resistance to corrosion, often needing extremely high purity levels.

Types of Gold - Based on Carat and purity

Carat (or Karat) refers to the proportion of pure gold in a gold alloy — essentially, how much of the metal is actual gold versus other mixed metals.

1. 24 Karat Gold: 24K is the purest form of gold available for consumers. It contains 99.9% pure gold, with only trace amounts of other metals. Due to its high purity, 24K gold has a distinct yellow hue and is soft and malleable, which makes it unsuitable for most jewellery, but ideal for: Gold coins, Gold bars and Investments

Types of 24K Gold -

Even within 24K gold, there are further distinctions based on purity precision:

999 Gold: Contains 99.9% pure gold and 0.1% other metals. This is the most common form of 24K gold used in coins and bars.
999.9 Gold: Known as "four nines fine", this is 99.99% pure gold — often used for high-precision bullion or specialised investment-grade products.

2. 22 Karat Gold: 22 Karat Gold indicates 91.67% pure gold. This type of Gold is often referred to as 916 Gold. While less durable than 24Karat gold this alloy is more durable, making it perfect for jewellery and everyday items.

Uses: jewellery, coins, bars, traditional artefacts, watches and accessories.

3. 18 Karat Gold: 18 Karat Gold means that 75% of the alloy is pure gold. This type of gold is widely used for making jewellery.

Uses: Fine jewellery, luxury items, diamond jewellery etc.

4. 14 Karat Gold: This type of Gold indicates 58.3% pure Gold and the rest is a mixture of metals including copper, zinc etc. This type of gold is extremely durable and is used for daily wear jewellery, industrial uses etc.

Types of Gold Jewellery

Gold jewellery is divided into 4 major buckets based on the concentration of gold:

1. Solid Gold jewellery: This type of gold jewellery is the highest quality and most valuable form. It’s made entirely of gold, though not always 24K — commonly 22K, 18K, or 14K to ensure durability. Since pure gold is soft, it’s alloyed with other metals (like copper or silver) to make it suitable for daily wear.

Pros: Long-lasting, retains value well, hypoallergenic (if high karat)

Cons: Expensive, softer at higher karats

2. Gold Filled jewellery: Gold filled jewellery has a thick layer of real gold bonded to a base metal (usually brass) using heat and pressure. The gold layer is much thicker than in gold-plated pieces — often 100x more.

Pros: More affordable than solid gold, durable, doesn’t tarnish easily

Cons: Less valuable than solid gold, still contains base metals inside

3. Gold vermeil jewellery: Gold vermeil (pronounced ver-may) is made by electroplating a thick layer of gold over sterling silver. To be classified as vermeil, the gold layer must be at least 2.5 micrometres thick and typically 14K or higher.

Pros: Higher quality than gold-plated, affordable alternative to solid gold, hypoallergenic

Cons: Gold layer can wear off over time with frequent use

4. Gold plated jewellery: This type of gold jewellery involves a very thin layer of gold (often less than 0.5 micrometers) applied over a base metal like brass or copper through electroplating. This is the most affordable type of gold jewellery.

Pros: Budget-friendly, gold look for less

Cons: Prone to tarnishing, not long-lasting, gold layer wears off easily, not an investment

Types of Gold: Based on Colours

Gold is often mixed with different metals to derive unique colors. Primarily, there are 8 types – Yellow Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, Green Gold, Spangold, Purple Gold, Blue Gold and Black Gold. In this section, we’ll cover the most commonly used types of Gold

1. Yellow Gold: This is the classic gold colour — warm, rich, and timeless. It’s made by mixing pure gold with small amounts of silver and copper.

Which is the best type of Gold?

The “best” type of gold isn’t the same for everyone — it depends on why you're buying it.

If you're buying for investment, purity and standardisation matter most. That’s why 24K gold coins, bars or online investments are ideal.

If you're buying for jewellery, durability and wearability are key — making 22K or 18K gold more practical.

That said, a simple rule of thumb is this:

Gold is often bought as a store of value, and the higher the purity, the more intrinsic value it holds. So, if long-term value is your priority, always lean toward gold with the highest purity possible, provided it suits your use case.

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