‘HGE’ can stand for both ‘Heavy Gold Electroplate’ or ‘High Grade Electroplate,’ meaning the piece is gold-plated with a slightly thicker layer than a GP or GE piece. Gold-plated pieces may be marked ‘GP,’ ‘GE,’ or ‘HGE.’ ‘GP’ or ‘GE’ means the piece is electroplated with a thin layer of gold ‘18K GP’ would indicate a piece plated with 18 karat gold. Most other letter markings indicate that a piece is gold-plated or gold-filled. 5 karats from the exact purity, so a ‘10K’ stamp could be as low as 9.5 karats, but the plumb stamp guarantees the exact 41.7%. For example, ‘10KP’ is exactly 41.7% gold. There are a variety of these markings, and if you’re at all unsure about your piece, it’s a good idea to consult an expert to make sure you’re interpreting your stamps correctly.Ī karat marking followed by ‘P’ indicates that the piece is plumb, meaning the purity is exact. Karat markings are often followed by letters, which can have large implications for both the purity and value of your gold. Using this same format, 14 karat pieces are marked ‘583’ (sometimes ‘585’) and 18 karat pieces are marked ‘750,’ and so on. For example, the marking ‘417’ means 41.7% gold, which is 10 karats. The three numbers represent the percentage purity. This is simply another way to indicate a gold piece’s purity, and has an equivalent meaning to ‘K’ marks. Sometimes, a piece will be stamped with 3 numbers instead of a ‘K’ stamp. There are many other stamps that indicate valuable jewelry that are not as straightforward as ‘K’ marks. 12K is very uncommon, and can often indicate less valuable gold-filled jewelry. The most common such markings are 10K, 14K, and 18K. Some stamps are straightforward, containing a number followed by ‘K’ to indicate the number of karats. Don’t worry if there is no stamp to be found, you can always consult an expert! Gold buyers have significant experience in deciphering value, and can also provide advanced tests to determine gold purity.Įven when you’ve found a stamp, you may still be confused.
By law, gold jewelry sold by a vendor must have a stamp of the piece’s purity, so finding a stamp is a good sign! If you can’t find a stamp, it’s possible it wore off with time, or was sold before the law was passed. On rings, the markings are often on the inside of the ring, and on chains, the mark is often on the clasp or right next to the clasp. Once you have a basic understanding of karats, you can examine your gold for stamps. An understanding of karats is key to deciphering the purity and value of your gold. The remaining 41.7% of the piece is composed of other metals, like copper, nickel, silver, or palladium. This means that a 14 karat piece would be 58.3% pure gold, since 14 divided by 24 is. The number of karats refers to the portion of the piece that is pure gold, with 100% pure gold being 24 karats. You probably already know that the more karats a gold piece has, the more valuable it is. Here’s an overview of gold stamps, purity, and value. Are they priceless heirlooms, cheap knockoffs, or somewhere in between? Fear not, deciphering the purity and value of your gold is very doable. You inherited most of the pieces from your grandmother, and you have no idea where she got them. You’ve been meaning to assess the value of your gold jewelry collection, but it’s always sounded intimidating.
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