A Cameo Is Worth A Thousand Words

How Much Gold Is In Your Gold?

     With the increase of people turning their gold in for cash, many are discovering that they have more or less gold in their collections than they had expected. With all the different combinations of metal alloys, people are mistaking gold filled as “fake gold” and “gold plated” jewelry as fine gold. Gold in its pure form is soft, dense, and malleable. The purity of gold is expressed in karats. This indicates the minimum mass of gold over 24 parts. Therefore, 24kt gold is 24/24 parts gold. Often, gold is mixed with alloys to produce a more durable medium for jewelry crafting. In America, most gold jewelry can be found as 14kt or 18kt gold. One can also find other variations of gold content. So what is the gold content of your jewelry?

1970’s Cameo Bezel Set in Gilt Silver Frame DE18091

  

     There are many ways of incorporating gold into jewelry without using the amounts necessary for karat jewelry. One example is gold filled jewelry which is made up of a layer of gold bonded to a base metal. The Federal Trade Commission requires the weight of the layer of gold in “GF” stamped items to be at least 1/10 the weight of the total item if the gold layer is of 10kt fineness. If the gold layer is of 12kt of higher, then the weight of the gold layer is required to be 1/20 the weight of the total item. Any item with less than these requirements is termed rolled gold.

     One can also find gold plated jewelry. A thin layer of gold is deposited onto the surface of another metal by chemical or electrochemical plating. Since atoms can diffuse through the gold, a barrier metal is used between the base metal and gold layer when plating over a metal that tarnishes. Gold plating will eventually be worn off but can easily be re-plated.

Victorian Cross Pendant Featuring a Highly Etched Design in Gilt Silver DE19328

     Silver gilt is formed by plating gold over silver. This technique is very often used in larger decorative items since one can achieve the look of gold while using very little of it. The French name for this technique is called vermeil. In America, vermeil items are legally required to have a layer of gold which is at least 10kt and 2.5 microns thick. Vermeil is created by the process of fire-gilding or electrolysis.

French Art Nouveau Joan of Arc Pendant in 24kt Gold Wash DE13939

     Gold electroplate requires a layer of gold of at least 10kt fineness and of at least 0.125 microns thick. Gold wash refers to the finest layer of gold plated onto a piece of jewelry. This method of plating requires more maintenance as it will wear out the quickest.