I realize people have found other karats of gold in their rings and jewelry, but this is a list of the most common karat found in the US. Please add any information you have.
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24K - Designates pure gold (also known as fine gold). This weight is not used for most jewelry, as it would be to soft to wear well. Gold is normally alloyed with other metals for jewelry use.
18K - Designates 75% gold content. It is a common alloy in some rings, lockets and some necklaces.
14K - Designates 58.5% gold content. The most common alloy used in jewelry.
10K - Designates 41.6% gold content. The alloy used for most class rings.
G.F. - Identifies gold filled. A thin layer of gold is bonded to a base metal.
R.G.P. - Designates rolled gold plate. This is a lesser quality than GF.
H.G.E. - Designates heavy gold electroplate. A thin layer of fine gold is deposited by electricity onto a base metal (inferior to GF).
G.E or E.G. - Designates gold electroplate. This is similar to HGE but is inferior.
US Gold Coins - Normally contain 91.67% gold (some maybe 90% gold, 10% copper)
Placer Gold - The gold found in Colorado ranges from 700 to 900 fine (1000 indicating pure gold). All placer gold is alloyed to some degree with silver (and sometimes containing other metals as well). Small flakes are purer than most nuggets.
Jewelry Manufacture.
"Karat" shouldn't be confused with "carat," a unit of weight used for precious stones. The basic unit of weight used in dealing with gold is the troy ounce. One troy ounce is equivalent to 20 troy pennyweights. In the jewelry industry, the common unit of measure is the pennyweight (dwt.) which is equivalent to1.555 grams.
The term "gold-filled" is used to describe articles of jewelry made of base metal which are covered on one or more surfaces with a layer of gold alloy. Quality marks may be used to show the quantity and fineness of the gold alloy.
In the United States no article of gold alloy coating of less than 10-karat fineness may have any quality mark affixed. Lower limits are permitted in some countries.
No article having a gold alloy portion of less than one-twentieth by weight may be marked "gold-filled," but articles may be marked "rolled gold plate" provided the proportional fraction and fineness designations are also shown.
Electroplated jewelry items carrying at least 7 millionths of an inch (0.18 micrometers) of gold on significant surfaces may be labeled "electroplate." Plated thicknesses less than this maybe marked "gold flashed" or "gold washed."
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Gold was produced in the southern Appalachian region as early as 1792 and perhaps as early as 1775 in southern California. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California sparked the gold rush of 1849-50, and hundreds of mining camps sprang to life as new deposits were discovered. Gold production increased rapidly.
Deposits in the Mother Lode and Grass Valley districts in California and the Comstock Lode in Nevada were discovered during the 1860's, and the Cripple Creek deposits in Colorado began to produce gold in 1892. By 1905 the Tonopah and Goldfield deposits in Nevada and the Alaskan placer deposits had been discovered, and United States gold production for the first time exceeded 4 million troy ounces a year--a level maintained until 1917.
During World War I and for some years thereafter, the annual production declined to about 2 million ounces. When the price of gold was raised from $20.67 to $35 an ounce in 1934, production increased rapidly and again exceeded the 4-million-ounce level in 1937.
Shortly after the start of World War II, gold mines were closed by the War Production Board and not permitted to reopen until 1945. From the end of World War II through 1983, domestic mine production of gold did not exceed 2 million ounces annually.
Since 1985, annual production has risen by 1 million to 1.5 million ounces every year. By the end of 1989, the cumulative output from deposits in the United States since 1792 reached 363 million ounces.
Consumption of gold in the United States ranged from about 6 million to more than 7 million troy ounces per year from 1969 to 1973, and from about 4 million to 5 million troy ounces per year from 1974 to 1979, where as during the 1970's annual gold production from domestic mines ranged from about 1 million to 1.75 million troy ounces.
Since 1980 consumption of gold has been nearly constant at between 3 and 3.5 million troy ounces per year. Mine production has increased at a quickening pace since 1980, reaching about 9 million troy ounces per year in 1990, and exceeding consumption since 1986.
Prior to 1986, the balance of supply was obtained from secondary (scrap) sources and imports. Total world production of gold is estimated to be about 3.4 billion troy ounces, of which more than two-thirds was mined in the past 50 years. About 45 percent of the world's total gold production has been from the Witwatersrand district in South Africa.
The largest gold mine in the United States is the Homestake mine at Lead, South Dakota. This mine, which is 8,000 feet deep, has accounted for almost 10 percent of total United States gold production since it opened in 1876. It has combined production and reserves of about 40 million troy ounces.
Prospector's Paradise http://www.prospectorsparadise.com/
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24K - Designates pure gold (also known as fine gold). This weight is not used for most jewelry, as it would be to soft to wear well. Gold is normally alloyed with other metals for jewelry use.
18K - Designates 75% gold content. It is a common alloy in some rings, lockets and some necklaces.
14K - Designates 58.5% gold content. The most common alloy used in jewelry.
10K - Designates 41.6% gold content. The alloy used for most class rings.
G.F. - Identifies gold filled. A thin layer of gold is bonded to a base metal.
R.G.P. - Designates rolled gold plate. This is a lesser quality than GF.
H.G.E. - Designates heavy gold electroplate. A thin layer of fine gold is deposited by electricity onto a base metal (inferior to GF).
G.E or E.G. - Designates gold electroplate. This is similar to HGE but is inferior.
US Gold Coins - Normally contain 91.67% gold (some maybe 90% gold, 10% copper)
Placer Gold - The gold found in Colorado ranges from 700 to 900 fine (1000 indicating pure gold). All placer gold is alloyed to some degree with silver (and sometimes containing other metals as well). Small flakes are purer than most nuggets.
Jewelry Manufacture.
"Karat" shouldn't be confused with "carat," a unit of weight used for precious stones. The basic unit of weight used in dealing with gold is the troy ounce. One troy ounce is equivalent to 20 troy pennyweights. In the jewelry industry, the common unit of measure is the pennyweight (dwt.) which is equivalent to1.555 grams.
The term "gold-filled" is used to describe articles of jewelry made of base metal which are covered on one or more surfaces with a layer of gold alloy. Quality marks may be used to show the quantity and fineness of the gold alloy.
In the United States no article of gold alloy coating of less than 10-karat fineness may have any quality mark affixed. Lower limits are permitted in some countries.
No article having a gold alloy portion of less than one-twentieth by weight may be marked "gold-filled," but articles may be marked "rolled gold plate" provided the proportional fraction and fineness designations are also shown.
Electroplated jewelry items carrying at least 7 millionths of an inch (0.18 micrometers) of gold on significant surfaces may be labeled "electroplate." Plated thicknesses less than this maybe marked "gold flashed" or "gold washed."
**************************************************
Gold was produced in the southern Appalachian region as early as 1792 and perhaps as early as 1775 in southern California. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California sparked the gold rush of 1849-50, and hundreds of mining camps sprang to life as new deposits were discovered. Gold production increased rapidly.
Deposits in the Mother Lode and Grass Valley districts in California and the Comstock Lode in Nevada were discovered during the 1860's, and the Cripple Creek deposits in Colorado began to produce gold in 1892. By 1905 the Tonopah and Goldfield deposits in Nevada and the Alaskan placer deposits had been discovered, and United States gold production for the first time exceeded 4 million troy ounces a year--a level maintained until 1917.
During World War I and for some years thereafter, the annual production declined to about 2 million ounces. When the price of gold was raised from $20.67 to $35 an ounce in 1934, production increased rapidly and again exceeded the 4-million-ounce level in 1937.
Shortly after the start of World War II, gold mines were closed by the War Production Board and not permitted to reopen until 1945. From the end of World War II through 1983, domestic mine production of gold did not exceed 2 million ounces annually.
Since 1985, annual production has risen by 1 million to 1.5 million ounces every year. By the end of 1989, the cumulative output from deposits in the United States since 1792 reached 363 million ounces.
Consumption of gold in the United States ranged from about 6 million to more than 7 million troy ounces per year from 1969 to 1973, and from about 4 million to 5 million troy ounces per year from 1974 to 1979, where as during the 1970's annual gold production from domestic mines ranged from about 1 million to 1.75 million troy ounces.
Since 1980 consumption of gold has been nearly constant at between 3 and 3.5 million troy ounces per year. Mine production has increased at a quickening pace since 1980, reaching about 9 million troy ounces per year in 1990, and exceeding consumption since 1986.
Prior to 1986, the balance of supply was obtained from secondary (scrap) sources and imports. Total world production of gold is estimated to be about 3.4 billion troy ounces, of which more than two-thirds was mined in the past 50 years. About 45 percent of the world's total gold production has been from the Witwatersrand district in South Africa.
The largest gold mine in the United States is the Homestake mine at Lead, South Dakota. This mine, which is 8,000 feet deep, has accounted for almost 10 percent of total United States gold production since it opened in 1876. It has combined production and reserves of about 40 million troy ounces.
Prospector's Paradise http://www.prospectorsparadise.com/