Worth knowing before you buy: karat isn't a quality tier, it's a measurement. It tells you how much of a piece is actually gold, out of 24 parts. Nine, fourteen, eighteen- these numbers describe composition, not a ranking from "basic" to "best." Here's what each one structurally is, and which one makes sense for what.

The math, briefly

Pure gold is 24 karat - 100% gold, and too soft on its own to hold a setting or survive daily wear. Every other karat is gold alloyed with other metals (commonly copper, silver, or palladium, depending on the tone) for strength, colour, and price.

• 9K gold - 9 parts gold, 15 parts alloy. 37.5% gold by weight.
• 14K gold - 14 parts gold, 10 parts alloy. 58.3% gold by weight.
• 18K gold - 18 parts gold, 6 parts alloy. 75% gold by weight.

9K gold

9K is a genuine gold alloy, not plating - there's real gold in every gram of it, and it will age differently, and better, than a base-metal or brass piece over time. Because the majority of its weight is the alloy rather than the gold itself, it's harder and more scratch-resistant than higher karats, which is part of why it exists as a category.

Where we'd ask you to be measured about it: 9K sits outside BIS's mandatory hallmarking categories in India, which cover 14K, 18K, and 22K. That means there's less standardised, long-run data on how 9K specifically holds up under Indian conditions - heat, humidity, monsoon, years of daily skin contact - compared with 14K and 18K, which have a longer domestic track record. This isn't a claim that it performs badly. It's an acknowledgment that the evidence base is thinner, and worth factoring in if you're choosing a piece you expect to wear constantly for years rather than occasionally.

14K gold

The most common karat in fine jewellery for a reason: enough gold content to be unambiguously fine jewellery, enough alloy to take daily wear without babying it. BIS hallmarked, with a long domestic track record. This is where most of what we make sits, and it's the sensible default if a piece is going on your wrist or hand most days.

18K gold

75% gold by weight - the richest colour and the closest to how gold actually looks and feels underhand. The trade-off is structural: less alloy means it's softer than 14K, so it takes slightly more care in pieces that see a lot of daily knocks. BIS hallmarked. Right for pieces where the material itself is the point - a solitaire, a piece you're not putting through a gym bag every day.

Which to buy, for what

• Wearing it every single day, without thinking about it - 14K. The balance point, and where the domestic evidence is strongest.
• You want the deepest colour and don't mind a bit more care - 18K.
• Budget-conscious, occasional wear, or testing a design before committing to it in a higher karat - 9K is a reasonable choice, so long as you're going in aware of the trade-off above, not assuming it behaves identically to 14K over a decade of Indian summers and monsoons.

Every karat we work with is hypoallergenic, so the decision here is genuinely about durability, colour, and budget - not about what your skin can tolerate.

If you'd like to see and feel the difference before deciding, that's easiest in person at our Khar studio. Otherwise, check the BIS hallmark stamped into the piece - it'll tell you exactly which of these three you're actually holding.9K, 14K, 18K: What the Numbers Actually Mean, and Which One to Buy