All my friends in Thailand tell me that Thai gold is far superior to the gold we use in the west. Their gold is more pure, closer to 100%. Even our top gold doesn't come close to theirs.
Is this true? Their gold seems to be a lot darker than ours.
Anybody know the truth??
2007-08-04 16:04:11 · 9 answers · asked by yanni 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
yes i know this Q shouldn't be in chemistry but i couldn't find anywhere else to put it...
2007-08-05 11:43:39 · update #1
purity of gold is expressed in Karats or %
99.99% is pure gold - this is also referred to as 24K
Karats represents 24th of purity. 24 Karat gold is 24/24ths pure.
18K is 18/24ths and 9K is 9/24ths
"Thai Gold" isn't a term that is regulated like % pure or Karat. Generally in the industry, Thai Gold is .965 pure -- that's 96.5% or about 23K or 23/24ths pure.
That said then - 24K gold is more pure than 23K gold. .999 gold is more pure than .965 gold.
Purity doesn't mean "better" -- some things need to be hard and pure gold is very soft. A 24K ring is pretty soft and easily damaged whereas a 10k ring is a able to withstand serious wear.
The darkness is the result of the alloy used in the mix. If something is 23K then it must also be 1K something else. That 1K metal effects the color of the final product. If it's silver or platinum - the color is light. If it's copper, the color is reddish.
2007-08-04 16:19:07 · answer #1 · answered by CoachT 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
24K Gold is pure solid gold. However, gold in it's purest form is soft and therefore does not always perform well as jewelry. Anything less than 24K is gold mixed with another metal such as copper, iron, aluminum or other. The more percentage of other metal the harder the gold gets and of course this also affects the color hence the term white gold which is gold and platinum. So in essence the less pure gold the less value. That's why gold electroplate is so cheap because there is only a thin skin of gold that is attached to the outside of another metal. Expensive jewelry that is 10K is basically higher priced do to it's design and other elements such as the addition of gemstones.
2016-05-18 02:47:14 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I work at a gold mine,the answer is no, gold is gold the purity of the gold is adjustable by melting other metals in or purifying it.
Gold changes from site to site, on my mine site there is tungsten, nearby minesite has a bit of copper, some have silver or platinum.
I can purify a ring to 99.999% pure and adjust anywhere inbetween.
The truth is this is a question of art and shold be in a jewellers forum rather than a chem forum.
2007-08-04 22:51:55 · answer #3 · answered by Matt M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is true. In the west we are quite keen on keeping what little amount of gold we have,as well as making it seem asif we have more than we have or make it a different colour.To do all these things gold is alloyed with copper and/or nickel.Gold is very soft, if not alloyed, and is only used as currency,to colour glass and for high tech stuff such as coatings on electrical contacts.
2007-08-06 10:10:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, Thai Gold is far better than english gold.
9ct gold should not be called gold , its only 37% gold content.
Thai gold is more like 22 or 24 ct.
2007-08-04 16:42:58 · answer #5 · answered by Drunvalo 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
thai is 21ct plus but the others are less pure
2014-07-18 12:10:53 · answer #6 · answered by Jamie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the main diffrence is you can smoke thai gold.
2007-08-06 02:31:03 · answer #7 · answered by HaSiCiT Bust A Tie A1 TieBusters 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if it aint 9ct it aint gold
if it is pure gold 1oz is "good"
2007-08-04 16:37:34 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 4⤋
same, same but different
2007-08-04 17:52:11 · answer #9 · answered by bad_dog 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋