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

Q: What is the difference between 22k and 24k gold?

24K gold is 99.9% pure and has a bright yellow colour. It’s soft and best suited for coins, bars, and investment, not jewellery. 22K gold, with 91.67% purity, is harder due to added metals, making it ideal for jewellery, watches, and traditional items.

Q: What is the difference between 22 carat and 24 carat gold?

24 carat gold is 99.9% pure and used mainly for investments like coins and bars. 22 carat gold is 91.67% pure, more durable, and better suited for jewellery. “Carat” and “karat” mean the same in this context.

Q: What is the difference between 18k and 22k gold?

22K gold is 91.67% pure and commonly used for traditional jewellery. 18K gold is 75% pure, stronger, and widely used in luxury and diamond jewellery. It’s less yellow than 22K and more affordable.

Q: What is 20 carat gold purity percentage?

20 carat gold is 83.33% pure gold

Q: What is 23 carat gold purity percentage?

23 carat gold has a purity of 95.8%

Q: What does 833 gold mean?

833 gold refers to 20Karat Gold

By Team Gullak

Last updated : Aug 13, 2025

6 min read

Gold can be classified into different types depending on the criteria. Based on purity:

24 Karat Gold
22 Karat Gold
18 Karat Gold
14 Karat Gold

Based on type of jewellery:

Solid Gold jewellery
Gold Filled jewellery
Gold vermeil jewellery
Gold plated jewellery

Based on colours:

1. Yellow Gold

2. White Gold

3. Rose Gold

4. Green Gold

In this article, we'll discuss these types of Gold in detail & understand why they exist.

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. What is 24 Karat Gold?: 24K is the purest form of gold available for consumers. 24 carat gold purity percentage is 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. What is 22 Karat Gold?: 22 carat gold purity percentage is 91.67%. 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. What is 18 Karat Gold: 18 Karat Gold means that 75% gold purity percentage. This type of gold is widely used for making jewellery.

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

4. What is 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.

Bonus:

KDM Gold - KDM stands for Kadmium. KDM Gold is an alloy containing 92% Gold and 8% Kadmium. This type of alloy was frequently used in jewellery because of its strength and high purity. Due to health risks, KDM Gold has been banned in India.

Here's the Gold carat list:

Karat	Purity
24K	99.99%
22K	91.67% pure
18K	75% pure
14K	58.3% pure

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 colours. 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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