Unit of measurement describing the content of gold in a jewelry item or ornament. Pure gold is extremely flexible and bends easily, and is thus alloyed with more durable metals when used in jewelry to form a tougher, although impure, gold. The karat measurement determines the percentage of gold on a 1 to 24 scale, with 24 karats being pure gold. That means that 14 karat gold is only 14/24 (or 58.33%) gold. Gold with too high a karat measurement is undesirable for jewelry because it is soft and bendable, and gold with a low karat measurement is undesirable because of its lesser value and greater adulteration.
The term karat is often confused with the term carat, which is the weight measurement for gemstones.
