4K gold?
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This bezel came with a bar I recently purchased. Seller said it was 14K. Its marked but its marked 4KP. Is the 1 just missing or could it be 4K? I plan to sell it as I don't want it and don't want to give wrong info. I know you can't see the markings in the pic but the 1 is nowhere to be found. Looks like it could have been there and soldered over when they closed the bale I guess.
Its all relative
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Comments
<< <i>Isn't the P for plated? >>
My first thoughts, too. It's not used frequently any more, but the "P" might also be "Plumb", meaning true or guaranteed. I suspect the "1" was lost because the marking is on a curve.
--Severian the Lame
Probably a mis-struck 14kt mark.
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<< <i>To eBay it goes as 14kp. Thanks everyone. >>
@K RARE 24 KT
<< <i>Oh well, just scratch a 1 into it
Might as well just make it a 2.
These marks do not relate to either plated or gold filled.
Yellow gold jewelry has been around for thousands of years and is the oldest known precious metal used in jewelry making. It has a very warm and elegant look and feel to it, especially when placed on the skin. Yellow gold is timeless and is a very appropriate gift when celebrating life's most important occasions.
Yellow gold is the easiest and most practical precious metal to repair or maintain. Re-sizing and re-finishing is inexpensive and almost all jewelers are proficient at yellow gold repairs. Extensive repairs can be done relatively easy without the fear of damaging valuable gemstones and diamonds because yellow gold has a very low melting point.
Pure gold jewelry is made in 24K gold and is much too impractical for everyday wear because of its softness. In order to harden the metal and increase it's durability yellow gold jewelry is mixed with metal alloys like copper or gold. Most gold jewelry in the United States is mixed with alloys that bring the karat grade down to 10K, 14K, or 18K gold. The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) requires all jewelry sold to be stamped with the gold content used by the jewelry maker. To determine the exact gold content examine the jewelry for the 10K, 14K or 18K stamp, if the jewelry is not properly stamped you should be very careful before making a purchase. You may also notice that the jewelry is stamped with .417, .585, or .750, which is the percentage of pure gold.
10K = .417, 14K = .585, and 24K = .750. Sometimes you will see a stamp followed by a P like 14KP, which means the gold, is plumb. Gold that is plumb means that gold metal content has been verified as being 100% accurate with zero tolerance for error in the mixing process.
10K Yellow Gold
The major benefit to buying 10k gold is the price savings, because there is less pure gold in the jewelry the price comes down. 10K gold is very hard and resists dings and dents; however because of the lack of pure gold it is very light in color. 10K gold tarnishes over time because of the high alloy content and often needs polishing to remove the tarnish from the metal surface. 10K jewelry is considered to be lower quality jewelry. 10K gold is known to cause skin creations because of its high alloy content.
14K Yellow Gold
14K yellow gold is very affordable and is a practical choice when choosing yellow gold for jewelry. Unlike 10K, 14K has a warm yellow color, does not tarnish, and doesn't require polishing for tarnish removal. It does ding and dent a little more often than 10K, but polishes more easily because of it's softer surface. 14K yellow gold is sold more often than any other yellow gold.
18K Yellow Gold
18K yellow gold is considered to be the highest quality gold that is sold in the United States and Europe. It has a very rich yellow gold and when set with diamonds the contrast between the whiteness of the stones and the richness of the gold creates a beautiful look. It is a bit soft for everyday wear and won't last as long as 14K. 18K is a perfect choice for platinum/18K two tone jewelry because the darker yellow color shows up well against the pure white platinum. Gold's purity level is rated using a karat scale with pure gold being 24K or .999 Fine
Gold is manufactured in many colors. There is yellow gold, green gold, pink gold, and red gold. The way that different colored gold is derived is through a melting/refining process. 14K gold also hallmarked (stamped) as 585 in Europe is not 100% pure or 24K gold. The gold content is 58.555% pure gold. The remaining substances melted and refined together with gold are other alloys or base metals such as copper, silver, etc. For example; a certain percent of copper mixed with a certain percent of silver, refined with the given 58.555% pure gold will yield a particular colored gold.
Hallmarks: A hallmark is a stamped indentation on the gold, usually found on the inside bottom of a ring or on a clasp or lock of a chain, bracelet, or necklace.
Warning: Finding a 14K or 18K marking on a piece of jewelry does in no way guarantee that it is a piece of gold.
A hallmark can be stamped on any base metal besides and including gold. Also, some custom or high quality less commercial pieces of designer jewelry have no hallmarks. This does not infer that you are not buying gold. Purchase your jewelry from reliable sources and make sure that on the sales receipt, the description of what you are purchasing is definitive. Plumb gold means that the 14K or 18K stamp represents that the gold content is 58.555% pure gold not 57%, not 13 3/4K or 12 1/2K, but truly 14K.
Hallmarks / Gold Content
10K = 41.67%
12K = 50%
14K or 585 = 58.555%
18K or 750 = 75%
24K = 100%
Other Symbols
K = Karat
KP = Karat Plumb
KGF = Gold Filled (not gold)
KEP = Electroplated (not gold)
Other Gold Terms:
Plumb Gold: Karat weights are usually determined with a small, fractional variance allowed. Karat gold which has no variance and is exactly the precise fractional karat weight is called "plumb" gold. This is typically identified with a "P" hallmark.
Gold Filled, Gold Overlay & Rolled Gold Plate: items so designated can be up to 200 times thicker than the heaviest gold electroplating available today. These items are created by using heat and pressure to permanently fuse a layer of karat gold over a less costly base metal. The minimum layer of gold must equal 1/20th of the total weight of the finished item. The surface layer of karat gold is usually 10kt,12kt or 14kt. Therefore the item could/should be marked as follows: 1/20 12kt, 14 Karat Gold Filled, 14 Kt. Gold Filled, 14 Kt. G.F., 14 kt Gold Overlay or 14k R.G.P. This means that 1/20th (or 5%) of its total weight must be 10kt, 12kt or 14kt gold. The value of gold filled is greater than gold plated because gold filled has an actual layer, not just a microscopic film of karat gold.
Rolled Gold Plate & Gold Overlay: only these two terms are used when the quantity of karat gold is less than 1/20th of the total weight of the finished metal item. It must be identified with a fraction mark indicating the quantity of gold. A typical legal marking might then appear as 1/40th 12kt R.G.P or 1.40th 12kt Rolled Gold Plate.
Gold Plating: is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold on the surface of another metal, usually copper or silver, by chemical or electrochemical means. The layer may be no less than 10kt gold and the thickness must be equivalent to one-half micron or 20 millionths of an inch. It must be designated as Gold Plate, Gold Plated or G.P.
Gilding: is the mechanical or chemical affixing of thin gold foils on the surface of objects.
Gold Electroplate, Gold Flash or Gold Washed: means a gold coating that is 10k or better and at least 0.000007 inches thick. A variant, "heavy gold electroplate" (H.G.E.P) is at least 0.0001 inches thick.
Vermeil: (pronounced "Vur-MAY") is the official industry designation for a heavy gold electroplating over a base sterling silver material. A minimum thickness of 100 millionths of an inch or 2.5 microns of fine gold must be deposited before it can be marked or sold as vermeil.
<< <i>
<< <i>To eBay it goes as 14kp. Thanks everyone. >>
@K RARE 24 KT >>