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Information about Gold

Carol K

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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/
 
Great article Carol.

I would add that on occasion, one may run across 22K and, even less often, 21K. These are usually jewelry pieces manufactured in eastern Europe or Asia.

Here is an example of a 22K ring with a citrine stone that I found on the beach last year.

picture.php
 
another note on troy weight. a troy pound of gold is 12 troy oz. not 16. it won't matter to most, but makes the difference of feast or famine to me.
 
British jewelery comes as 22, 18 or 9 . CT may be stamped on (CT = KT) but normally just the number.
Then there's rolled gold. Normally gold laid on to silver.
If there's no mark it can just mean its a really old item and worth more.
 
Really good info about gold, i found out that white gold is Palladium, mixed with gold. So 14k would be 41.5 % palladium and 58.5 fine gold. thought you'd like to know. I always thought it was silver they mixed it with to get white gold, but palladiums at about 330.00 an oz. at present, allot higher than silver. smg
 
Found a Ring marked 417. Did some research and ended up at a Thai site.

333 = 8K
375 = 9K
417 = 10k
585 = 14k
750 = 18k
 
trobaughokc said:
Found a Ring marked 417.  Did some research and ended up at a Thai site.
...

For those that may not know, the three digit numbering system used in Europe and other countries are just the decimal representation of the karat system where 24k = pure gold.

333 = 8 / 24
375 = 9 / 24
417 = 10 / 24
585 = 14 / 24
750 = 18 /24
 
From Carol KL:
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.


Hi everyone, this is my first post and I'm looking forward to seeing your finds and posting some of mine.

I wanted to point out that I pretty sure that Placer gold is gold that has separated away from its host rock (load gold). Some of the places that it is found are on hillsides and streams beds. Placer gold can be of any purity and gold mixed with silver is called electrum I think which is not too common. Might be different where I?m from, California.

You can google placer gold to see what we out here in Cali call it.

I just wanted to point that out, you posted such great information. 

Another thing, pure gold is denoted as .999 fine.

HH

Edit:
Thought I would add this. Gold won?t rust or tarnish and its call the Noble Metal.


Below Quote from: http://gold.yabz.com/facts.htm
A single ounce of the metal can be drawn into a wire five miles long. Gold can be hammered into sheets so thin that light can pass through. High purity gold reflects infrared (heat) energy almost completely, making it ideal for heat and radiation reflection. Gold-coated visors protected astronauts? eyes from searing sunlight on the Apollo 11 moon landing.
 
I has been looking for information like this for long time, Good info. Carol K

Oro
 
Great info, here's a piece of 2000 year old European 24 ct gold.

A Gallo Belgic class C stater, struck by the Ambiani in Gaul about 80-70 BC. Listed in Spink's Coins of England as no. 5, and in Van Arsdell's Celtic Coinage of Britain as VA 42 - 48.
Weight of 5.70 grams.
The obverse (right hand image) shows the disintegrated head of Apollo. On the reverse, a typical disjointed, stylised horse.

stater2gfs.jpg
 
Ant said:
<SNIP>
Another thing, pure gold is denoted as .999 fine.

HH

Edit:
Thought I would add this. Gold won?t rust or tarnish and its call the Noble Metal.

Actually, both the Canadian and US mints are now producing some coins that are .9999 fine which
is quite a bit closer to pure gold.

You are right in that pure gold won't rust, but when it is alloyed with other metals to reduce the fineness (e.g. copper), the other metals in the alloy can and do rust or tarnish.
 
Rudy said:
Ant said:
<SNIP>
Another thing, pure gold is denoted as .999 fine.

HH

Edit:
Thought I would add this. Gold won?t rust or tarnish and its call the Noble Metal.

Actually, both the Canadian and US mints are now producing some coins that are .9999 fine which
is quite a bit closer to pure gold.

You are right in that pure gold won't rust, but when it is alloyed with other metals to reduce the fineness (e.g. copper), the other metals in the alloy can and do rust or tarnish.

Out of the over 60 pieces of gold that I have dug, none of them have had rust on or attached to them. I have seen raw nuggets that have rust/iron attached to them but that's due to iron, gold and iron are associated with each other in the raw.

I've seen alloyed gold tarnish to a black color I have never ween it rust. And from what I know copper does not rust either. Copper in the ground forms what they call verdigris or copper crystals, the patina we see on copper.
 

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