417
10-carat gold · 41.7% pure
417 means 10-carat gold: 41.7% pure gold, the lowest purity that can legally be called gold in the United States — struck as “417” or “10K”. (Japan rounds the same standard to 416.) With most of its weight in alloy it's the hardest, most affordable karat gold, popular for class rings and everyday US pieces, at the cost of colour and value.
Hallmark Translator
Translate a purity you know into how any country marks it — gold, silver, platinum, palladium — or compare two countries side by side.
Why 41.7%?
10-carat is the US floor for “gold”: at 41.7% pure it's mostly alloy, which makes it the hardest, most durable and cheapest of the karat golds. That's why it turns up in class rings, men's jewellery and budget pieces across North America.
Below 14K and 18K in purity, it's paler and worth less by weight, and the higher base-metal content makes it a little more reactive over time. You'll see it as 417 in millesimal, 10K in carat, and 416 on some Japanese pieces — all the same standard.
Alloy 41.7% gold · 58.3% copper, silver and zinc
And the standards around it
- 41710-carat
- 41.7% — the US legal minimum for “gold”; hard and budget-friendly.
How 2 countries strike 417
The number means the same metal everywhere — but every country marks it differently. Some strike a national emblem beside it; others, like the United States, mark it in type alone. Tap a country for its full system.
What people actually ask
Is 417 the same as 10K?
Yes. 417 is the millesimal (41.7%); 10K is the carat (10 parts gold in 24). Japan rounds the same standard to 416 — still 10-carat gold.
Is 417 real gold?
Yes — it's the lowest purity the US allows to be called gold, at 41.7%. Real gold runs all the way through; it isn't plated.
Is 10K or 14K gold better?
10K is harder, cheaper and paler; 14K is purer, richer and the US everyday default. 10K wins on durability and budget, 14K on colour and value.
Does 10K gold tarnish or react with skin?
More than higher karats — with nearly 60% base metal it's a little more prone to dulling, and copper or nickel can occasionally mark sensitive skin. Generally it's fine for daily wear.
What is 10K gold worth?
41.7% of its weight is pure gold — the lowest melt value of the karat golds, tracking roughly four-tenths of the pure-gold price by weight.
A reference guide, not an authentication service. The same number can appear on different metals, and the mark beside it varies by country, date and maker — consult the relevant assay office or standards body for definitive identification.