585
14-carat gold · 58.5% pure
585 means 14-carat gold: 58.5% pure gold, with the rest a mix of metals such as copper and silver for strength. It's the everyday gold standard in the United States and much of the world — struck as “585” or “14K”. With more alloy than 18-carat it's harder and more scratch-resistant, which is why it's so popular for rings and pieces worn daily, at a lower price than higher-purity gold.
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 58.5%?
Gold's softness is the whole reason karats exist. At 58.5% pure, 14-carat gold carries noticeably more alloy than 18-carat — and that extra alloy makes it harder and more resistant to scratches and dents. For a ring worn every day, that durability is a real advantage, which is why 14K dominates the US market.
The trade-off is purity and colour: 14K is a little less richly golden than 18K and worth less by weight. But it's still solidly “fine gold”, well above the 10-carat US legal minimum, and the alloy mix still sets the colour — from yellow to white to rose.
Alloy 58.5% gold · 41.5% copper, silver, zinc or nickel (the mix sets the colour)
And the standards around it
- 58514-carat
- 58.5% — the US everyday standard; harder-wearing than 18K.
How 14 countries strike 585
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.
Independent assay
Mandatory maker's mark
What people actually ask
Is 585 the same as 14K?
Yes — two ways of writing one purity. 585 is the millesimal (58.5% pure); 14K is the carat (14 parts gold in 24, which is also 58.5%).
Is 585 real gold?
Yes, solid 14-carat gold — 58.5% pure by weight, alloyed for strength and running all the way through. It's well above the US 10K legal minimum.
Is 14K or 18K gold better?
Neither is simply better. 14K (585) is harder, more scratch-resistant and cheaper; 18K (750) is purer, richer in colour and worth more. 14K is the US everyday standard; 18K the European and luxury default.
Does 14K gold tarnish?
It resists tarnish well at 58.5% pure, more than 9K or 10K but slightly less than 18K. White gold can look less white as its rhodium plating wears — that's the plating, and it can be re-applied.
What is 14K gold worth?
58.5% of its weight is pure gold, so its melt value is a little under three-fifths of the same weight in pure gold, tracking the gold price.
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.