Gold-filled Jewelry
Gold-filled materials are an excellent alternative to solid gold, offering gold’s characteristic warm yellow tones at a fraction of the cost. At the same time, gold-filled is more durable and retains more value than gold-plated pieces.
Gold-filled. What’s in a Name?
Despite how it sounds, gold-filled metal is not actually filled with gold! “Gold-filled” is simply an age-old term that became accepted in the jewelry industry. Today, gold-filled is a quality designation that’s regualted by the Federal Trade Commision. To merit a “GF” stamp, the material must have a layer of gold that is at least 10-karat mechanically applied to a base metal; the karat gold layer must also be at least 1/20 (5%) of the item’s total weight.
How is Gold-filled Made and Labeled?
Gold-filled is made by heat and pressure-bonding a thin layer of karat gold to a brass (or other base metal) core. The value of gold-filled is greater than gold-plated because gold-filled has an actual layer of karat gold, not just a microscopic film, as is the case with gold-plated items. The karat gold covering also significantly increases the tarnish resistance of the base metal substrate.
The “14/20” or “12/20” notation refers to the industry shorthand describing the resulting material. The first number is the karat purity of the gold used, the second number is the amount, by weight, of gold to the substrate material. “14/20” gold-filled material is made with 14 karat gold, and the gold represents 1/20th (or 5%) of the total weight of the material.
We offer some Occulture jewelry with gold-filled fittings. These gold-filled fittings have a 12-karat or 14-karat gold layer and meet the federal quality standards established by the FTC.
