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.
Swedish jewellery is traditionally 18K (750), with 14K also common in modern pieces; 22K/916 gold is mainly found in imported jewellery. Sweden's cat's-foot (kattfot) control mark is one of Europe's oldest hallmarking traditions.