Is gold filled the same as gold plated?

No. Under the FTC Jewelry Guides, gold filled means a karat gold layer of at least 1/20 of the item's weight, while electroplate is a far thinner coating measured in microns. Neither is solid gold, and that is why a filled piece and a plated piece should be judged separately.

Why would real gold have no readable stamp?

Because a worn stamp is not a missing one. Marks rub away with years of wear. A readable GP, HGE, or RGP tells you more than a blank band does, since those are plating codes, while a blank band still needs a test.

Does real gold stick to a magnet?

No. Gold is not magnetic, so a piece that pulls is not solid gold, though a steel clasp spring can pull on its own. No pull proves nothing, because many other metals do not react either.

What does 585 or 750 stamped on jewelry mean?

They are fineness marks, in parts per thousand. 585 is 14 karat, about 58.5 percent gold. 750 is 18 karat, or 75 percent gold.

Do jewelers charge to test gold?

We do not. The test takes a minute, costs nothing, and carries no obligation to sell. Other businesses set their own policies, so ask before you hand a piece over.

How to Tell If Gold Jewelry Is Real

Check the stamp first. 10K or 417, 14K or 585, 18K or 750, and 24K or 999 mark solid gold, while GP, GEP, HGE, RGP, or GF mean plated or filled. With no stamp, or a doubtful one, a metal test settles it, and ours takes about a minute and costs nothing.

What do the stamps on gold jewelry mean?

A karat mark tells you how much of the metal is gold, out of 24 parts. A three-digit mark says the same thing in parts per thousand, so 750 means 750 parts of gold in every 1,000. Look inside ring bands, on clasps, and on the tongue of a chain. Under the FTC Jewelry Guides, a marked karat may be off by no more than 3 parts per thousand, or 7 when the piece is soldered.

Mark	What it means	Gold content
10K or 417	Solid 10 karat	About 41.7 percent
14K or 585	Solid 14 karat	About 58.5 percent
18K or 750	Solid 18 karat	75 percent
22K or 916	Solid 22 karat	About 91.6 percent
24K or 999	Pure gold	99.9 percent
1/20 12K GF	Gold filled	A karat gold layer of at least 1/20 of the piece's weight
RGP, as in 14K R.G.P.	Rolled gold plate	A karat gold layer of at least 1/40 of the piece's weight
GEP, as in 12K G.E.P.	Gold electroplate	A coating of at least 10 karat, about 0.175 microns thick
HGE	Heavy gold electroplate	A thicker coating, about 2.5 microns
GP	Gold plated	A thin surface layer only

The first five rows are solid gold. The rest are not, and the number inside a plated mark describes the layer, not the whole piece. That is why 1/20 12K GF can look like a karat stamp at a glance. A word on its own proves little either: the FTC treats unqualified "gold" as misleading unless the item is 24 karat throughout.

A missing stamp does not mean fake. Older pieces, handmade jewelry, and items from outside the US are often unmarked, and stamps wear off. On a much-worn ring, the mark may simply be gone. Our estate guide covers what to do with a whole inherited collection.

Which home checks help, and which can fool you?

A magnet can only rule things out. Gold is not magnetic, so a piece that pulls toward a magnet is not solid gold, though a clasp spring can pull on its own. A piece that does not pull proves nothing, because many non-gold metals do not react either.

Your eyes are more useful. Plating is a surface layer, so look at the places that rub: clasps, edges, and the inside of a band. A different color showing through at those points suggests a coating has worn away.

Weight in the hand is not reliable, and neither is color. Skip anything that marks the piece, such as scratching, biting, or a home acid kit. Those checks can damage jewelry that turns out to be real, and a free test does the job without them.

How do jewelers test gold?

These are the common methods in the trade. The oldest is the touchstone: the piece is rubbed on a dark stone to leave a smear, and chemicals are applied to the smear. The London Assay Office calls this an initial indication of fineness, and GIA describes it as relatively nondestructive. X-ray fluorescence fires an X-ray beam at the item and reads the result, and the same assay office describes it as very accurate and non-destructive. Fire assay, or cupellation, is accurate to about 1 part per thousand, but it is done in a laboratory on a small sample of the metal.

At our counter, your pieces are separated by karat and tested in front of you on professional equipment, then weighed. See our jewelry page for what we buy. A visit usually takes 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how much you bring.

When should you bring a piece in instead of guessing?

Bring it in when a piece is unmarked, when a drawer holds a mix you cannot sort, or when something stamped GF or plated might still have a solid clasp. The evaluation is free, there is no obligation, and you can sell some pieces and keep the others. Bring a government-issued photo ID, and find the closest door on our locations page or call (615) 893-2414.

This guide is general information about how precious metals are identified and valued, not financial advice; what any piece is worth is settled at the counter after testing.

How to tell if gold jewelry is real