With Christmas coming up, it is no surprise to see the various retailers launching initiatives to promote their wares - and that includes one very novel move involving Aldi’s festive character Kevin the Carrot.
In the latest instalment of his storyline, the Aldi Christmas advert, the orange vegetable has proposed to fellow carrot Katie, which, along with this being the tenth anniversary of the character’s introduction, has prompted the discount retailer to bring out its own limited edition ‘Carrot’ gold engagement rings.
The supermarket giant said: “In a world where celebrity proposals are making headlines with dazzling 10‑carat rocks, Aldi is proving there’s room for more carrot and less carat.”
It is fair to say that there may be a few collectors picking the £10 rings up for novelty purposes, but perhaps rather fewer will choose them as actual engagement rings.
Getting the ring from Aldi isn’t quite the sort of thing one would boast about when making the big announcement, even if, according to Aldi’s research, this would save £990 on average and a fifth of people would accept being proposed to with a novelty ring. Being proposed to with such an item is one matter. Wearing it permanently thereafter would be quite another.
What Is The Difference Between Carats And Carrots?
Whatever the motivations for getting this novelty ring, the play on words of ‘carrot’ and carat made the idea an irresistible one. But it may also raise a question among the curious. What exactly is a ‘carat’ (since it is not an orange root vegetable) and what might that have to do with the nature of jewellery items like gold wedding rings, necklaces or earrings?
The term carat is not just used for gold, which is worth noting whenever you hear of a celebrity getting an engagement or wedding ring measuring a certain number of carats. In gemstones, the carat denotes the weight, with the higher number meaning a heavier (and therefore larger) stone.
When used to describe gold, however, it is a measure of purity. The maximum level is 24 carat gold, which means it is pure or almost pure. However, while this purity might be found in gold bars locked away in high-security vaults, you can be sure you will never wear it, because it is too soft and malleable to be put to any practical use.
Instead, to make gold jewellery, certain quantities of other metals are mixed in to create an alloy. The carat denotes just how much. For example, 22-carat gold can be used for jewellery. Lower carat levels are also commonly used, with nine carats being the lowest level at which the alloy can still be considered gold in the UK.
This means there is a wide array of carat levels that your gold jewellery may be made from, all of which are classed as gold, even though they will not be pure gold.
The carat level is determined by strict minimum amounts. For example:
· 24 carats must be at 99.9 per cent pure
· 22 carat gold is at least 91.7 per cent pure
· 18 carat gold is at least 75 per cent pure
· 14 carat gold is at least 58.3 per cent pure
· Nine-carat gold is at least 37.5 per cent pure.
Where Does The Term Carat Come From?
Curiously, although the word is not connected to carrots, it is linked to one form of vegetable matter - carob seeds. In ancient times, gold and other precious metals were weighed against these seeds, which were known as keraton in Greek, from which the word is derived. Gems only started to be weighed against carob seeds much later.
However, as carob seeds can vary in size and weight themselves, it was not until 1907 that a standardised international measurement was agreed upon at 200 milligrams. However, ancient influences persist; the Roman Solidus gold coin weighed 24 carats, which is why it is set as the standard for pure gold.
What Kinds Of Gold Can Be Made By Mixing It With Other Metals?
However, one should not see higher carat figures as always being more desirable, as some attractive and fashionable variations have arisen through the substantial mixing of other metals.
Obvious cases can be found in the forms of rose gold and white gold. In the case of rose gold, this pinkish alloy is made by mixing gold with copper. The Royal Mint sometimes uses a 50-50 mix, although the amounts used vary and usually have a higher amount of gold.
White gold is made using a mix of gold and silvery coloured metals such as nickel and palladium, with the final product looking like silver in colour, but being slightly harder and resistant to tarnishing.
If you want a bespoke gold ring, you can discuss with us the various options and what it would mean for your ring to be a particular number of carats, in terms of its appearance, hardness and other attributes.
Whatever you choose, it will certainly be far better than the ring Kevin the Carrot has presented to Katie.