Gold Karat Jewelry Vs Gold-Filled
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Gold Karat Jewelry Vs Gold-Filled
When purchasing an article of gold, karat is probably one of the most important things to be sure of. Check the hallmarking on the piece (ie 14K stamped on inside of ring), and be sure it matches what the salesperson tells you the piece is. Be careful of phrases such as "solid gold plate" or "gold-filled". Though these sound okay at first, careful consideration of their true meaning shows them to be very misleading. Gold filled items are simply layered with gold, and have some sort of nonprecious metal underneath - and that nonprecious metal often shows itself with minimal wear. Solid gold plate is simply saying that the plating is solid. That is just like saying the paint on your car is solid paint! Beware of quick catch phrases, and trust your eyes. Karat marks are regulated, and are the one thing you can trust when it comes to gold karat content.
Comments
1/15/2007 8:24:19 PMBead*Happy said:
Gold items, if you can afford them, are very nice but gold-filled and gold-plated items can offer inexpensive alternatives. Gold-filled items have more gold (at least 20% of the weight of the item) than plated items and are remarkably durable. I have some lovely gold-filled pieces from the 1950's that look as beautiful as the day they were made. Gold-plated items have less gold, but can still be nice to wear occasionally. Items to stay way from are gold-washed or gold-flashed, they have a minimal amount of gold that can quickly be worn away.
Gold Filled is another material that is overlaid by a mechanical process with a layer of gold. The gold layer must constitute at least 1/20th of the weight of the metal in the entire article. Gold filled is preceded by a karat designation, but isn't required to be preceded by a fraction. Also called: "Rolled Gold Plate," or "Gold Overlay." May be marked "14 Karat Gold Filled," "1/20th 14 Karat Gold Filled" or other appropriate marking.
Gold Plate/d is another material that is plated with a layer of gold or gold alloy. The layer of gold, not less than 10 karat fineness, is required to be of a substantial thickness, and the minimum thickness throughout is required to be equivalent to one-half micron (or approximately 20 millionths of an inch) of fine gold. May be preceded by a karat designation.
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