One is richer in colour, the other is harder wearing. What the numbers mean and how we choose between them.
Karat measures how much of a piece is pure gold, out of 24 parts.
22 karat
22k gold is 91.6 per cent pure. It has the deep, warm yellow that Indian jewellery is known for, and it holds its value closely. It is also soft, so we use it for plain forms such as bangles that do not carry stones.
18 karat
18k gold is 75 per cent pure. The remaining quarter is alloy, which makes it noticeably harder. Claws stay tight and fine details stay crisp, which is why every stone-set Orlaine piece is 18k.
Yellow, rose or white
The colour comes from the alloy. Copper warms gold into rose; palladium cools it to white. The gold content, and the hallmark, are exactly the same.
Reading the hallmark
Look for the BIS logo, the purity mark (750 for 18k, 916 for 22k) and a six-digit HUID you can check in the BIS Care app.
