the beauty of gold jewelry
Gold . Investment

The difference between 9, 14, 18, 22 and 24 carat gold

On June 2, 2024 by

History of gold

In response to a law from the 1990s, Jean Dinh Van created the Pi pendant in 24-carat hammered gold, which has a few variations this month. For aesthetic, economic, but also legal and sociological reasons, all the titlings are widespread in the windows of jewelers.

It is a tradition that dates from the French Revolution. With the law of 19 Brumaire Year VI, the legislator, wanting to guarantee a good quality of gold in circulation, imposed the use of 18 carats on goldsmith jewelers, that is to say an alloy containing 75 % pure gold and 25% of another metal.

Professionals in fact never use the pure precious metal but mixed with zinc, copper or silver to make it more solid and therefore more durable, this rule aims to prevent everyone from mixing it up, often to the detriment of the customer. From then on, 18 carats (a name dating from the Middle Ages and dividing the total mass into 24 parts) became the standard and assumed an absolute monopoly. Until 1994, thirty years ago, and a text voted to open the market to other grades, notably 14 and 9 carats (containing respectively 58.5% and 37.5% gold), metals less concentrated and therefore less expensive.

At the time, the large Parisian houses of Place Vendôme and Rue de la Paix turned their noses up at this new competition. Creators, even those with broad ideas, also flinch. Among them is Jean Dinh Van, who has made his place in the world with his innovative designs and his signature touches on jewelry tradition. Seeing the arrival on the market of 9 carats, an alloy where gold is in the minority, makes him bristle.

Beautiful gold jewelry

For him, this law is heresy. In 1991, even before his vote, and in reaction to this poor quality alloy which was going to be authorized, he created for the first time a piece with the highest possible gold content, 24 carats. Like a snub!

But this was a technical challenge, as gold in this almost pure form is so malleable that it must be hammered to harden and be durable. Thus was born the Pi pendant, very important in our history because it illustrates the audacity of Jean Dinh Van and the love he had for the material. If this large pierced piece, of great simplicity and so much character, has long remained an emblematic model, it is almost the only one of its kind in the brand’s catalog. This long historic pendant, which has not changed one iota (nor taken a single wrinkle), is the subject of a few variations this month with a necklace and two bracelets.

Despite the 1994 law, historic brands have remained attached to the tradition of 18 carats, considered the best balance between preciousness, aesthetics and durability. The different titrations remain taboo for many gold specialists, including Italian professionals, according to the founder of the Parisian jewelry multi-brand White Bird, but the public is completely open to it.

The first advantage is economic, since it allows creators to offer more reasonable prices – an argument all the more admissible given that the price of gold has experienced record increases in recent years. With the success of jewelry and the development of the offering, customers have also willingly accepted the existence of alternative offerings. So in the White Bird boutiques, where designers come from the four corners of the world, all the golds coexist in good harmony. With a strong representation of 14 carats (notably among the Anglo-Saxons Sophie Bille Brahe, Alice Waese, Brooke Gregson, or the Japanese Noguchi).

Rich gold color and shine

The difference is almost not perceptible to the naked eye between 18 and 14 carats, each as precious and durable as the other, claims a customer who has also just given in to the sirens of 9 carats for her collaboration with Inès de la Fressange. The two women have in fact unveiled their creation with four hands, a ring set with a fine stone (aquamarine, amethyst, citrine, etc.) on more affordable gold in order to ensure a price under $1,000. On jewelry that is too fine, 9 carat gold does not offer good resistance but on substantial settings like that of their Jelly ring, there is no risk and the color is perfectly identical.

Some adopt and defend it for aesthetic and technical reasons. The Japanese Noguchi has been using it for twenty years and appreciates its special shade which blends gracefully with brown or gray diamonds. The same goes for the Australian of Moroccan origin, Karen Liberman, who loves nothing more than mixing gold and metals. For Lauren Rubinski, who has stockists around the world, it’s all about volume.

We chose to use 14-carat gold because it proved to be the most interesting alloy for me, especially for the meshes, in order to imagine pieces that were both imposing and light. Unlike 9k, which contains a higher proportion of non-precious metals, 14k gold maintains a rich color and shine while being more resistant to ordinary wear and tear than 18k. It allows Italian artisans to create pieces that are both refined and imposing, perfect for everyday use.

And then, going against the grain, there are also some fans of the higher grading, 22 carats, known for displaying a solar, very yellow color. At the Greek jeweler Zolotas, it has almost become a signature. Shaping this alloy means choosing to compose luxurious and unique jewelry.

The very present raw material and its very specific handling represent significant added value to the creation of the jewel. This aesthetic has established itself among us since the 1960s, when, on the initiative of Xenophon Zolotas, former Greek prime minister, great scholar and heir to this house founded in 1895, it was decided to rely on the great tradition antique Hellenic jewelry goldsmithing. Her breastplates or her earrings shine like suns. Also like the rings of Californian Cathy Waterman, whose buttercup yellow accentuates the naturalistic side.

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