Choosing the right men's gold chains is easy when you take the quality of gold into account.

1. Choosing the Right
Karat Gold for
Men's Gold Chains

2. FINDING THE RIGHT CHAIN
Men's gold chains have become popular
fashion items and are worn widely around the
world. If you want a gold chain, you want one
that's going to stand out and make you look
good—but you also need it to be high quality,
and you don't want to overspend. That means
it's important to choose the right quality of gold
for all chains, especially ones you're going to
wear regularly.

3. GOLD QUALITY
The quality of gold is
measured in karats,
abbreviated k. Karats
refer to how pure the gold
in your chain is. The
higher the karat level, the
more pure the gold is. All
gold jewelry, not just
men's gold chains, is
measured this way.

4. GOLD QUALITY
The reason for this
system is that pure gold,
although beautiful, is
very soft. So the gold
that's used for jewelry is
mixed with a small
amount of other metals
to give it strength. Lower
karat gold is harder but
has less gold "color" to it.
Higher karat gold has a
stronger gold color but is
slightly softer.

5. GOLD QUALITY
The most common karat
levels are 10k gold, 14k
gold and 18k gold. If gold
is completely pure and
unmixed with other metals
it's referred to as 24k
gold, but this level of gold
is not commonly used to
make jewelry. So is
buying a higher karat
value "better"? It
depends. Here is an
overview of each grade:

6. 18 KARAT GOLD
This grade contains 75% pure gold and is the most
expensive grade commonly used in any jewelry. For years,
this quality level has been the standard for jewelry in
Europe, though not necessarily in the U.S. This gold has a
bright, deep color to it that many people find more pleasing
than that of other karat levels. But, bear in mind your 18k
gold will also be somewhat softer. It will generally hold up
fine to normal wear, and is worn throughout the world, but
it will not take a beating as well as lower karat levels will.

7. 14 KARAT GOLD
This grade contains 58.5%
pure gold. It is probably the
most popular grade of gold
in the United States. Some
people say that they can
see the difference in color
between 14k and 18k gold,
and that it has a more "pale"
yellow hue. Jewelry of this
grade will hold up well to
basic wear and tear.

8. 10 KARAT GOLD
This level of gold has
41.7% pure gold. Because
of the lower gold content, it
costs substantially less
than other grades of gold,
however, it remains a
stunning choice and is
certainly a high-quality
metal. Jewelry at this
grade is harder and resists
wear and tear better, but it
will also tarnish more
easily because of the other
metals it contains.

9. COLORS
For the most part, gold of any karat level can
come in different "colors." All gold is naturally
yellow, but can be made into white gold, red
gold, etc. based on which metals are mixed
into it. Each level of gold can be made into
amazing men's gold chains. Which kind is right
for you?