Notes on 21 karat
The colour Iraqi families ask for by name, and why it behaves differently at the bench.
Ask for gold in Baghdad and you will almost always be shown 21 karat. Its warm, deep yellow is the colour most Iraqi families mean when they say gold, and the colour a bride expects in her shabka.
At 87.5 percent pure, it is richer than the 18 karat used in most European jewellery — and softer too.
At the bench
That softness changes how the workshop works. Twenty-one karat bends beautifully for bangles and chains, but it is less suited to holding a stone in fine claws, so we design for it: broader settings, heavier gauges and fewer delicate parts.
“Twenty-one karat forgives the hand that shapes it. It does not forgive a careless design.”
Goldsmith, Beirut workshop
Wearing it
It will take on small marks over the years, and many families love it for that. A polish at the boutique brings the shine back whenever you want it.
For pieces that carry diamonds, we often suggest 18 karat for the setting and 21 for everything around it — the colour you want, and the strength the stone needs.