In general, the closest thing refiners can achieve in daily production to 100% pure gold is 99.9 gold fineness. With this in mind, 24 karat gold is the purest gold you can buy. Gold is malleable in its purest state. Other metals are added to strengthen it and, in some cases, to enhance the color.
An example is rose gold comprising gold and copper. If a person or people tell you that you have a “heart of gold”, you may still wonder more about exactly how pure your heart (of gold) is. This is why it is common to see names like 999 Gold or 916 Gold, indicating that gold has a purity of 99.9% or a purity of 91.6%, respectively. So how can you know how pure that gold really is? And which is better, 999 Gold or 916 Gold? Below you'll find our guide to help you understand more about gold purity, carats, and more.
Bullion bars are also not handled as much as jewelry because they are made with less pure gold, so their softness is not a problem for collectors and makes it easier to store gold. Since 100% pure gold is essentially impossible to come by, the purest type of gold available on the market is 999.99. Crafted from 999 pure gold, it comes with a 10 carat gold chain so you can effortlessly match your outfit. I'm talking about what pure gold really is and when 9999 versus 999 gold makes sense from the buyer's perspective. The American Buffalo coins, the British Queen's Beasts series and the Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coins are three examples of 999.9 fine gold coins.
This is the gold most commonly known as 24 karat gold, although technically 24 karat gold is 100% pure. Therefore, the best type of gold available on the market is 999.99, also known as a “five-nines fine”. The Royal Canadian Mint is famous for its production of 999.99 fine gold commemorative coins.
