Gold Purity & Quality Marks

Always look for a quality mark in the gold jewelry you buy. Pure gold, or 24-karat, is generally too soft for use in most jewelry, so gold is alloyed with other metals to increase its strength. In the United States, 14-karat gold is the most common jewelry alloy, and nothing less than 10-karat gold can be legally marked or sold as gold jewelry.

Gold plated jewelry is often indicated with a “GP” marking stamped somewhere on the piece.

Quality Marks on Karat Gold Jewelry

Beyond Yellow: The Gold Alloys

When discussing metals, you'll often hear the term alloy. A metal alloy is a metal made by combining two or more metals, to increase the strength and/or resistance to corrosion of the base metal. The ratio of each component determines the properties of the alloy. Alloys can also create a variety of colors.

White Gold

One of the most popular gold alloys is white gold, and it is an affordable and fashionable white-metal option. White gold is created by alloying gold with nickel or palladium, zinc and copper. White gold alloys are never truly “white” in color, so most white gold jewelry is plated with rhodium, a platinum group metal. White gold jewelry requires a little more extra care during its lifespan, because the rhodium plating may show signs of wear. A simple and quick re-plating at your local jewelry store can easily restore its brilliant white finish. Learn why white gold yellows >

Rose Gold

Fine jewelry customers are having a love affair for rose gold. The beautiful warm blush flatters skin tones. Pink or rose gold is created by alloying gold with copper. Most often, you’ll find 14-karat rose gold jewelry, which is 58.5% pure gold with copper added for color.

Rose gold comes in a variety of shades of pink, that blend well with gemstone colors and white and yellow metals.

Vermeil

Sterling silver jewelry is often electroplated with karat gold. When the thickness of the karat gold plating is at least 100 millionths of an inch thick, it is referred to as “vermeil,” pronounced “vermay.” Vermeil jewelry is an affordable alternative to jewelry made completely with karat gold. Items meeting this definition may be stamped with standard sterling markings or with the word “vermeil.”

Thinking About Selling Your Gold Jewelry?

Use our tips for selling gold jewelry to make sure what you get back in cash is worth parting with jewelry that often represents cherished memories.

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