The gold21 carat

Seven parts gold,in every eight.

Twenty-one of twenty-four parts are gold; the hallmark writes it as 875. The part that is not makes the metal a little harder than 22, and across the Gulf and much of South Asia that is the everyday standard.

Three heavy gold chains of different link patterns laid across maroon velvet

The carat thatholds its edge.

The eighth part that is not gold is there to work. It stiffens the metal just enough that a fine link keeps its shape and an engraved line stays crisp through years of wear.

That is the job 21 does. Sharp milling, fine filigree and the crisp edge of a pressed link all soften sooner in a softer metal. In 21 they hold, and the colour gives up very little in return.

Across the Gulf and much of South Asia, 21 is not the alternative to 22. It is the default, the carat a family means when it says gold. Walk in asking for it and nobody here will blink. It sits beside the 22 in the same cabinet, priced the same way, by weight.

The two carats in this cabinet, side by side.
	21 carat	22 carat
Gold content	875 · 87.5% gold	916 · 91.6% gold
Colour	Unmistakably gold	A shade deeper
Wear	A little harder. Keeps its detail.	Softer. Made heavier to carry it.
Typical use	Chains, rings, daily wear	Bridal sets and bangles

875 and 916 are also the marks struck inside the pieces themselves. How to read them →

Twenty-one and twenty-two share the one cabinet here. Choose by the piece, not the doctrine.

A chain worn every day makes the case for 21: harder links, crisper pattern, a clasp that keeps closing. A bridal bangle makes the case for 22: deeper colour, more weight at the scale, and every wedding before it.

Neither case wins on its own. Tell us the piece and how it will be worn, and we will put a 21 and a 22 side by side on the counter. Held together, they mostly settle it themselves.