14 Karat Gold
58.5% gold. Hard, durable and common in export and Western jewellery, less so in India.
14K is a little over half gold, hallmarked 585. It is noticeably harder than 18K and holds a polish well.
Because the alloy content is high, colour varies a lot between makers, and the copper-heavy versions look distinctly warm.
It is standard in the United States and much of Europe, and turns up in India mostly in export-oriented and contemporary lines.
When you are buying
Good value for an everyday piece where you care about wear rather than gold content. Expect weaker resale, because Indian buyers price on purity.
18 Karat Gold
75% gold. Harder and more durable than 22K, which is why stone-set and Western-style jewellery uses it.
Karat
The purity of gold, measured in twenty-fourths. 24K is pure gold; 22K is 22 parts gold to 2 parts other metal.
Fineness
Purity expressed in parts per thousand rather than karats. 999, 916, 750 and 585 are the numbers you will see stamped.