Is there Such a Thing as 8K Gold?(Detailed Answer in 2023)

When purchasing your favorite jewelry pieces or any other fun costume pieces, you will notice that jewelry items in any jeweler collection have different markings on them.

Most trademark stamps you find on jewelry items are essential in communicating the jeweler, carat weight, metal stamp, metals used, and the manufacturer. The marking essentially gives you a clue about the overall value and history of select ornamental pieces.

During your shopping spree, you may come across jewelry pieces marked ‘8K’, which would have you questioning whether there is such a thing as 8K Gold. To help you answer this question, we will discuss what 8K gold is made of and evaluate its worth.

What is 8K Gold made of?

Gold is one of the most precious metals, and gold jewelry is well-received by several people worldwide. Even so, all gold items are not equal and are comprised of different metal quotients.

The overall purity of gold jewelry items is determined by karatage, which is commonly denoted as K. Any jeweler can alter the karatage of a gold item by adding a different metal to it.

Bearing that in mind, 8K is the lowest grade of gold, while 24K gold is the purest.

With that background, it will be easier to understand what 8K Gold is made of. 333 gold and 8K gold are the same things. That means you may find some items marked ‘333’ and others marked ‘8K’, but both hallmarks are indicators of the same gold purity.

Any jewelry with this item is made of 33.3% pure gold, which is pretty low, and it is mixed with copper and sometimes silver.

Is there such a thing as 8K Gold?

Yes, there is. You may come across jewelry items marked ‘333’ more often than those marked ‘8K’, but as we mentioned earlier, they are the same thing. You wouldn’t find 8K gold items in the United States, but you would find them in plenty in some Scandinavian countries and mainly German-speaking countries.

A common controversy on 8K gold, is that most people assume that items made from 8K gold are either gold-filled or gold plated. Well, just because it features the lowest grade of Gold, it does not necessarily mean that all items made from 8K gold is gold-filled or gold plated.

In the realm of jewelry with gold tones, 8K is made of 33.35 of Gold, which indeed is the lowest, but you can still find good quality jewelry pieces that are a better alternative to purchasing expensive solid gold.

How much is 8K Gold worth?

The fact that 8K gold has a small portion of about 33.3% of pure gold and more of a copper or silver alloy, does not mean that it is invaluable.

If anything, it is still valuable, and you can find timely pieces in any jeweler collection with 8K Gold. Even so, only the gold metal in the ornamental item makes your 8K gold items a worthy investment and not the other alloys.

Besides, its value is much higher than the value of any other ordinary gold-plated or gold-filled jewelry items.

Currently, the price for a gram per 8K gold price per gram is approximately $16.85. When you compare it with other gold karatage, 10K gold is worth $4.20 more per gram, 14K gold is worth $12.75 more per gram, and 18K gold is worth $21.10 more per gram.

If you look at these statistics, 8K gold is a better alternative to the other more expensive ones.

Why does 8K gold tarnish easily?

In general, gold is the least reactive element to exist naturally on the earth’s surface. This means that pure gold does not combine with oxygen easily, so it maintains its color and does not tarnish. Moreover, it remains bright for a long time, and it has a durable texture.

However, 8K gold has a very minimal amount of pure gold, and it is mixed with reactive elements such as copper or silver. When these alloys react with oxygen, they begin to corrode and tarnish.

Gold tarnishing is described as the corrosion of the gold surface that results in dark discoloration of your jewelry piece.

Some people claim that real gold does not tarnish while fake gold tarnishes, but this isn’t the case. It is just that 8K gold tarnishes faster than other gold pieces as it has a lower golf content to maintain its texture, brightness, and overall aesthetic fabric.

That said, if you own a few 8K gold pieces, avoid touching acids and alkalis, reduce daily wear and stay away from corrosive chemicals. Also, you may want to avoid showering with your gold items to increase their durability levels.

Conclusion

Always remember that the higher the karat values of your jewelry item, the purer the gold in it. While 24K is the best quality gold you can buy, 8K gold is valuable as well, and you can find a few good quality jewelry pieces.