Where to Buy Gold Name Necklaces with Specific Purity Levels

Key Takeaways

• Purity is a ratio.Carats count gold out of 24 parts, so 18ct is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals.
• 24ct is too soft for a name.Pure gold bends and blurs, and fine script letters are the first thing to suffer.
• 14ct is the everyday sweet spot.58.5% gold: hard enough for daily wear, with a proper gold colour.
• 18ct is richer and warmer.75% gold gives a deeper yellow and is the kindest choice for sensitive skin.
• 9ct is real gold too.37.5% gold, the hardest-wearing of the three and the gentlest on the budget.
• The hallmark is the proof.In the UK, gold over 1g must be hallmarked. Look for 375, 585 or 750.
• Buy solid, not plated.Plating wears through. Solid gold is gold all the way through, so there's nothing to wear off.

In This Guide

1. Chapter IThe Numbers Behind the Gold: carats, percentages and the hallmark codes that go with them.
2. Chapter IIHow Purity Changes Your Necklace: strength, colour, skin comfort and price.
3. Chapter IIICaring for It and Checking It's Real: care by carat, and how to confirm your gold.
4. Chapter IVChoosing Where to Buy: what a good jeweller tells you before you pay.

What Gold Purity Actually Means

Gold purity is the share of pure gold in the metal your necklace is made from. The rest is a blend of other metals, usually silver, copper and zinc, added to harden the gold and tune its colour.

Why not use pure gold? Because pure gold is soft. Soft enough that the thin joins between script letters would bend out of shape with ordinary wear.

A name necklace asks a lot of its metal. Every letter is cut from a thin sheet of gold, and the points where one letter meets the next (the bit where the "a" joins the "r") are the narrowest on the whole piece. That's where the right alloy earns its keep.

How Gold Purity Is Measured

In the UK, purity is measured in carats, written ct. (In the US you'll see "karat" and a "k". Same system, different spelling.) Pure gold is 24ct, and every carat below that is one twenty-fourth less gold.

• 24ct24 parts gold. 99.9% pure, hallmarked 999.
• 18ct18 parts gold, 6 parts alloy. 75% gold, hallmarked 750.
• 14ct14 parts gold, 10 parts alloy. 58.5% gold, hallmarked 585.
• 9ct9 parts gold, 15 parts alloy. 37.5% gold, hallmarked 375.

(Strictly, 14 out of 24 works out at 58.3%. The legal standard is set at 585 parts per thousand, so 14ct gold is always at least 58.5% gold.)

Two other labels are worth knowing, mostly so you can avoid them for a name necklace. Gold-plated means a thin layer of gold over a base metal. Gold vermeil means a thicker gold layer over sterling silver. Both look right on day one, and both wear through eventually, usually on the edges of the letters first.

Also read: Solid gold vs plated, filled and vermeil

Gold Purity & Wear Details

Here's how the four purities compare side by side.

Why 24ct Gold Isn't Used for Names

24ct is the purest gold you can buy, and that's exactly the problem. With nothing added to harden it, a 24ct name necklace would:

• bend out of shape the first time it catches on a jumper or a seatbelt
• pick up scratches from everyday contact
• lose the crisp edges on its letters
• wear thin at the jump rings and joins over time

That's why almost every jeweller makes name necklaces in 9ct, 14ct or 18ct. Enough gold to look and feel like gold, enough alloy to keep the letters sharp.

Which Purity Is Best for Daily Wear?

The rule is simple: the more gold, the softer the metal. So 9ct is the hardest of the three, 14ct is close behind, and 18ct is a touch softer again. None of them are fragile. A solid gold name necklace in any of the three will happily handle being worn every day.

Where you notice the difference is in the small marks. 18ct picks up fine surface scratches a little sooner than 14ct, which some people love (it reads as lived-in) and some people don't. If your necklace is going on and staying on, through the gym, the school run and the occasional nap, 14ct is the sweet spot for most people.

The font matters too. Delicate scripts and Arabic calligraphy have thinner strokes, so if you've chosen one, 14ct or 9ct will keep those curves crisp the longest.

Also read: How durable is solid gold jewellery?

How Purity Changes the Colour

More gold means a deeper, warmer yellow. The difference is subtle on its own and obvious side by side.

• 24ctRich, almost orange-yellow.
• 18ctWarm, buttery yellow.
• 14ctClassic mid-tone yellow.
• 9ctPaler, softer yellow.

The alloy also decides the colour family. Rose gold gets its blush from extra copper. White gold is gold blended with white metals and usually finished with rhodium plating for that bright, silvery look, which may need refreshing every few years depending on wear.

If you want your necklace to read as unmistakably gold from across the room, choose 18ct. If you'd rather something quieter that sits easily with your other pieces, 14ct or 9ct does that well.

Also read: Which gold colour suits your skin tone?

Gold Purity and Sensitive Skin

Pure gold very rarely causes a reaction. When a gold necklace does irritate skin, it's almost always one of the other metals in the alloy, most often nickel.

A higher carat means less alloy, so 18ct is the safest choice if your skin is easily irritated. 14ct suits most people comfortably. 9ct has the most alloy of the three, so if you've reacted to jewellery before, it's worth stepping up a carat.

If white gold has bothered you in the past, ask your jeweller whether their white gold is nickel-free. A good one will know the answer straight away.

Does Higher Purity Cost More?

Yes, and by a predictable amount, because you're paying for more gold. Take our Classic Gold Name Necklace, at the time of writing:

• 9ct£725
• 14ct£905
• 18ct£1,095

Same design, same making. The only difference is the gold.

For most people, 14ct is the best value: properly durable, a proper gold colour, and a sensible middle price. 18ct earns its premium if colour or sensitive skin is your priority. 9ct is a lovely way into solid gold without the 18ct price.

Also read: Is 18ct gold worth it?

How to Care for Each Purity

Solid gold doesn't tarnish, so care is mostly about keeping the shine and avoiding scratches. The routine is the same for every carat. The softer the gold, the more gently you go.

Whatever the carat: take it off for swimming (chlorine is hard on alloys), put perfume and moisturiser on before your necklace, not after, and don't leave it tangled in a dish with everything else.

Also read: How to clean gold jewellery safely

How to Check Your Gold Is Real

Look for the hallmark. In the UK, any gold item over 1 gram must be hallmarked by an independent assay office before it can be sold as gold. A full UK hallmark has three parts: the maker's mark, the fineness mark (375, 585, 750 or 999) and the assay office mark. On a name necklace it's usually on the clasp or the back of a letter, and it's tiny, so a magnifier helps.

Try a magnet. Gold isn't magnetic. If your necklace jumps to a fridge magnet, there's a base metal involved. It's not proof on its own (some fakes aren't magnetic either), but a strong pull is a bad sign.

Ask a jeweller to test it. A jeweller can confirm purity with an acid test or a non-destructive XRF scan. Don't try the acid test at home. It marks the metal, and the results take practice to read.

Be wary of loose wording. "Gold tone", "gold finish" and "gold-filled" all mean there's very little gold in it.

What a Good Jeweller Should Tell You

Wherever you buy, you should be able to find all of this without having to email and ask:

• the exact carat, written as ct and as a hallmark number
• that the piece is solid gold, not plated, vermeil or gold-filled
• that it's hallmarked by a UK assay office (for anything over 1g)
• the gold colour, and what's in the alloy if you have sensitive skin
• how long it takes to make, and what happens if something isn't right

If any of those are vague or missing, keep looking.

Our Name Necklaces, Plainly

Every Argent & Asher name necklace is made to order in solid gold, in your choice of 9ct, 14ct or 18ct, and in yellow, white or rose gold. Nothing is plated. Each piece is hallmarked, and it's made for you over 3 to 5 weeks rather than pulled from a drawer.

The Classic, Script, Old English and Arabic name necklaces all come in every carat and colour, so you can choose the font first and the gold second.

Everything Else Worth Knowing

Is 14ct or 18ct gold better for a name necklace?

For most people, 14ct. It's harder-wearing, holds fine letters well and costs less. Choose 18ct if you want a deeper yellow or have sensitive skin.

Is 9ct gold real gold?

Yes. 9ct is 37.5% pure gold and is hallmarked 375 in the UK. It's the hardest-wearing of the three and the most affordable way into solid gold, with a paler yellow colour.

Will a solid gold name necklace tarnish?

No. Solid gold doesn't tarnish or turn your skin green. It can look dull from soap, lotion or perfume build-up, which a wash in warm soapy water fixes. White gold may need its rhodium finish refreshed over time.

Can I wear my gold name necklace in the shower?

Water won't damage solid gold, but soap and shampoo leave a film that dulls the shine. Take it off for swimming, as chlorine can weaken the alloy over time.

What do 375, 585 and 750 mean on gold jewellery?

They're fineness marks showing gold content in parts per thousand: 375 is 9ct, 585 is 14ct, 750 is 18ct and 999 is 24ct.

Why aren't name necklaces made in 24ct gold?

24ct is too soft. The thin joins between letters would bend and the edges would wear down with daily wear, so jewellers use 9ct, 14ct or 18ct instead.

Choosing Your Gold

There's no wrong answer between 9ct, 14ct and 18ct, only the one that suits how you'll wear it. 14ct is the all-rounder. 18ct is for colour and sensitive skin. 9ct is solid gold at its most practical. 24ct is beautiful, just not for a name.

Whichever you choose, check for the hallmark, buy solid rather than plated, and pick a jeweller who's clear about what you're getting. Do that, and the necklace will outlast the outfit, the job and probably the phone case.