What Is Gold Filled Chain Mean
An example of a hallmark you might see on a modern day rolled gold piece might read something.
What is gold filled chain mean. Gold filled items are similar to gold plated pieces in that they are not solid gold. It can be solid gold jewelry hollow gold jewelry gold filled or gold plated jewelry and difference in value can be staggering i m jamie co founder of automic gold and we are going to discuss different types of gold jewelry. The confusion arises because the word gold can be used to describe the color of jewelry as well as the. What is 14k gold filled.
Gold filled is a usa industry standard that legally requires 1 20th or 5 pure gold by weight. An old and used item. When purchasing jewelry a more economical than solid gold but still beautiful option is a gold filled piece. Solid gold jewelry in contrast is made entirely of one material usually an alloy that contains gold mixed with other metals to make the compound harder and more durable.
A true gold filled chain should last for years as long as it is taken care of. It is a quality material that is common in all types of jewelry. Sometimes pieces of gold filled are soldered together the solder adds weight of base metals to the piece and effecting the standard gold to base metals ratio. Gold plated jewelry however has a much thinner gold coating.
Although a gold filled piece of jewelry is not sold gold it has the same desirable properties and look of solid gold. When something is gold filled it has a thick sheet of gold applied to a base metal 50 to 100 000 times thicker than gold plating and in order for something to be considered gold filled it must have a gold content of at least 1 20th the total weight of the. Actually gold filled jewelry is much more valuable than jewelry that is gold plated. Gold filled jewelry is jewelry composed of a solid layer of gold typically constituting at least 5 of the item s total weight mechanically bonded to a base of either sterling silver or some base metal the related terms rolled gold plate and gold overlay may legally be used in some contexts if the layer of gold constitutes less than 5 of the item s weight.
It s impossible to give you an idea of how long a chain would last or a guarantee because we simply don t know what conditions it would be in and how it would be cared for. Meaning the gold layer will suffer from surface wear or even peeling of the gold layer in some cases. It is so confusing when people say gold jewelry. Gold filled is a united states layered gold product that is gaining popularity throughout the americas asia and europe.
You should buy all your gold filled chains from a reputable source though since there are. Gold filled generally lasts much longer than most electroplated jewelry when looking for a wallet friendly alternative to sold 14k gold.