![]() Be aware that manufacturers mark gold-plated jewelry with a HEG mark. Many people confuse plumb gold with plated gold because of its mark KP. When you want to calculate the purity percentage of your piece of jewelry, divide the karat number by 24, then multiply it by 100. Keep in mind that the exact value of the karat can slightly vary from what is stamped on an item unless jewelry is marked as Karat Plumb. Since 24K gold is too soft, it is rare to see it in jewelry. The most frequently used karat values in the US are 10K, 14K, 18K, 20K, and 22K. However, many other countries allow 9K, or 37.5% pure gold jewelry, to market it as gold. In the US, the minimal standard for gold is 10K, or 47.5% pure gold. Most other alloys won’t affect gold color much, and you can see jewelry in different goldish variations. The other ten parts are a mixture of metal combined with one or more other elements.įor instance, you will get white gold by adding silver as an alloy, while extra copper colors gold in a reddish shade, so you get rose gold. If a jewelry piece is 14K, only 14 out of 24 parts are pure gold. Meaning of Karat Stamps something borrowedĪs you have already known, only 24K gold is pure gold. Accordingly, the fewer karats in a necklace or a ring, the stronger it will be. On the other hand, gold blended with more alloys is stronger. Higher karat gold is more resistant to tarnishing and will appear more yellow because it is purer. For example, 18KP implies that the gold is at least eighteen karats plumb gold, meaning the mark gives assurance that value can’t be less.Īlways choose the appropriate karat according to your preferences, but be aware of particular types’ limitations. Nowadays, you can sometimes see a marking KP on a piece of jewelry, meaning Karat Plumb. It means that, for example, a 17.9 karat gold needs to be stamped 17K, unlike the past practice when it would probably be stamped as 18K gold. Hence, the name itself shows that the gold karats stated on the jewelry are correct. It comes from the French term plum, meaning completely or exact. Therefore, gold had to be at least 14K to be legally stamped that way, and its technical term was – plumb gold. That act no longer allowed the round-off or half-karate gold. In 1981, the US Government passed the National Gold and Silver Marking act. Without any requirement about it, such a practice wasn’t illegal. There was no law about that half-karate gold until 1981, so manufacturers could stamp the 14K mark on pieces that weren’t indeed the real thing. For example, a 13.5 karat gold often had a 14K stamp. ![]() One of the most common problems was gold jewelry with a stamp that showed a higher gold percentage than it truly is. At one point, it was crucial to stop the frauds, and putting karat marks on gold pieces became part of the law in the US. Not many people got a counterfeit piece until they started purchasing it from anyone. In the past, most people bought jewelry from jewelers with a good reputation. Similarly, marks with the karat number show the specific gold form, but some combinations don’t fit into the established framework. When purchasing any gold piece of jewelry, karat marks play an essential role.Įven though stamps weren’t mandatory in the past, they are a legal obligation nowadays. ![]() Most people want to get the purest piece for the money they invest. Whether you are a jewelry seller, collecting estate jewelry, or simply on the lookout to buy some gold, the term plumb gold can catch your attention.
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