What does 916 gold mean?
916 refers to fineness: 916 parts of pure gold per 1,000 parts of metal, or approximately 91.6% gold purity. It is the millesimal equivalent of 22 karat (22 ÷ 24 = 0.9166…), so "916 gold" and "22K gold" describe the same alloy. The remaining 8.4% is typically copper and silver, added to make the metal hard enough for daily wear.
New Zealand jewellery follows the British-influenced convention of 9K and 18K pieces, so 22K/916 gold is mainly encountered in imported jewellery. Fineness stamps such as 375 and 750 are used rather than a compulsory national hallmark.