JEWELRY EDUCATION > GLOSSARY > Alloy
Alloy
A mixture of two metals. Alloys are extremely common in jewelry. White gold, for example is typically 75% gold and 25% other metals. This is done to create a desired color (as in white, red, and pink gold) or to strength a metal (as in yellow gold). The karat weight is the degree to which the metal has been combined with others. Alloys are very common for gold. Pure gold is 24 karat, but this is rarely seen in rings since it is soft and will disfigure after only a short period of time. An 18 karat gold ring is much more common; these are 18 parts gold and six parts other metals.
