GoldPaq

Everyone knows that gold is a precious - and a very valuable metal - but not everyone realizes that there are many different ways to weigh gold and mark it so that it’s weight is obviously stated. Therefore, when evaluating a gold piece’s value, it is helpful to be informed about what these markings mean, as this can help you determine whether or not the piece is genuine gold.

We talked about this in our earlier post about difference between karats, carats and carrots after receiving several messages we decided to revisit gold markings. If you have a piece of gold jewelry, you will oftentimes find, stamped onto the gold several tiny numbers and/or marks. These tiny numbers and markings can tell you a great deal about the quality of the piece.

Karat Weight

Most people look for the karat weight indicator on jewelry to determine whether or not the piece is genuine gold. However, fewer people realize that while this karat weight stamp often does indicate that the gold is genuine, it is also indicative of something else – just how much gold is contained in the piece. The higher the percentage the more cash for gold we can offer.

24 karat gold is gold in its pure state. It is 100% gold. However gold is a soft, malleable metal, and therefore, it is often impractical to create jewelry from 24 karat gold because it will not stand up to even gentle wear without scratching and denting. Therefore, gold is often alloyed with other metals, including silver, copper, and nickel, in order to strengthen it and create a metal that is durable enough for wear.

As gold is alloyed, the karat weight drops; although the gold within the piece is still genuine, there is now another metal present to account for the remainder of the weight.

For example, 18 karat gold is 18 part pure gold and 6 parts alloy metal. 14 karat gold is 14 part pure gold and 10 parts alloy metal. 10 karat gold is 10 parts pure gold and 14 parts alloy metal.

Fineness

“Fineness” is another, slightly less common term when it comes to gold weights. Like karat weight, fineness is an indicator of the percentage of pure gold in a gold piece; and like karat weight, the higher the gold’s number on the fineness scale, the more pure gold that it contains.

Fineness is related to karat weight. As such, 24 karat gold is considered to be 100% fine, 20 karat gold is considered to be 83.3% fine, and 14 karat gold is considered to be 58.3% fine.

Because the numbers that indicate fineness are larger comparatively than that of karat weight, one does not often see gold’s weight in fineness stamped on jewelry. But, just for your own information, genuine sterling silver jewelry will often have .925 stamped inside, which is the measure of the silver’s fineness. GoldPaq will buy silver, platinum and gold jewelry.

Troy Weight

On the international market, the standard measurement for gold is troy weight . A gold piece’s troy weight is a indication of it’s mass, rather than it’s weight in convention terms. Therefore, a troy ounce of gold will weigh 31.1034 grams, where as if the gold were weighed using conventional ounces, it would weigh slightly more. When a gold’s weight is referred to in ounces or pounds, this measurement nearly always refers to the gold’s troy weight.

For those who are curious, using troy weight rather than conventional weight measures to weigh gold began in medieval times, and the term is named after the city of Troyes in France.

Other Gold Markings

Sometimes you may encounter a piece of gold jewelry or other gold item that has an unusual marking on it, either instead of or in addition to its karat, troy, or fineness. Many of these markings are artisan markings, left by the item’s creator. These marks, called “hallmarks,” can be a clue not only as to who created the piece of jewelry, but also where and when it was created.

Not all of these markings are hallmarks. Letters in addition to those that indicate karat weight tell a different story.

If you encounter a piece of jewelry that says, for instance, 1/20 12kt GF, this means that the piece is gold-filled rather than solid gold. Gold-filled jewelry does contain genuine gold; however, the gold is heat-and-pressure bonded to an underlying base metal such as silver or brass. The “1/20 12kt GF” marking indicates that the jewelry piece is composed of at least 1/20 12 karat gold. 10, 14, and 18 karat gold-filled jewelry are also commonly found.

“HGE” or “HGP” stamped on a gold piece indicates that the piece is gold-plated rather than genuine gold. However, gold-plating is not to be confused with gold-filling; while gold-filled jewelry is held to the 1/20th standard mentioned above, gold-plated jewelry is not, and it is usually difficult or impossible to determine the actual amount of gold contained in the piece.

Knowing what the markings that one finds on gold jewelry and other gold pieces mean will help you determine the worth of your gold. The higher the number, the more gold your jewelry or other items contain, and the more valuable they are.

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