875 Gold

875 gold is a gold alloy of 87.5%, and more commonly referred to as 21 carat gold. This is quite an unusual choice of purity, especially in the UK where the higher 22 carat gold is used.

Pure gold is an extremely soft precious metal, and would be unsuitable for items that could be subject to physical wear and tear. Other metals are therefore sometimes mixed with the gold to improve the durability, and many items described as gold are in fact gold alloys. 875 gold would be one such alloy. With the high cost of gold, it is therefore important to establish what proportion of gold that has been used in the manufacturing alloy.

There are two commonly accepted units that measure the purity of gold metals. They are the international millesimal system (fineness), and the older traditional carat system.

Fineness measures the gold content in parts of a thousand. 999.9 is pure gold, while 875 fineness is 875 parts of gold to 125 parts of other metal. As a percentage it is 87.5% pure gold.

Carat measures purity in parts of 24 – 24 carat being pure gold. 21 carat is 21 parts of gold to 3 parts of other metals. 21 carat gold – or 21 karat US – is then equal to 875 fineness and often called 875 gold.

In the UK, jewellery is not commonly made in 875 gold; 22, 18 and 9 carat are more common in the UK. These are equivalent to 916, 750 and 375 fineness.

21 carat, 875 fineness is rare in the UK. It is more common in Arabic nations and occasionally used for India gold jewellery. However, with the growth of online shopping, 875 gold is slowly becoming more common in the UK.

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875 gold karat

Karat is the American spelling of carat. 875 gold would be the equivalent then to 21 karat gold. A relatively high purity 875 - 21 karat - gold would typically be used for high value plain jewellery, such as rings, stud earrings or necklace chains.

It would be unusual to see 875 gold in the UK, but with international shopping much more commonplace it is growing in popularity.

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875 gold Hallmarks

When buying jewellery, the choice of fineness is a balance between value and wearability. High fineness jewellery has greater value, better appearance and is more tarnish resistant.

Lower fineness jewellery is more affordable and more hard wearing. 9 carat is hard wearing and affordable but may tarnish. 21 carat is more easily damaged, but more resistant to tarnish and more expensive. Having the correct hallmarks is important for consumers so they can be confident in the purity of their items. This will help them decide if it is appropriate for their use and the value of the item if they choose to sell it.

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875 Gold colours

The metals used in gold alloys change its colour or tint. The three major colours of gold are yellow, white and rose. However, because of the high amount of gold in 875 gold, its colour varies little from the yellowish hue of pure gold. The addition of copper may give it a slightly reddish tint, while the addition of silver would likely see a slightly paler yellow.

BullionByPost will buy 875 gold at competitive rates. To sell, simply call the team on 0121 634 8060 for a quote today.

• 875 gold is 21 carat
• 21 carat gold is more common in Arabic countries
• 875 gold is a not a hard-wearing gold alloy
• 875 gold is a relatively high-priced alloy