Monday, August 15, 2011

How Is Gold Stamped on Jewelry?

  1. Gold Jewelry Basics http://www.sinclairtreasures.com/

    • Gold jewelry is one of the most beautiful forms of jewelry that will always hold its value. If the gold is pure, it does not tarnish. Some metals build up residue; but gold by itself does not. However, some people experience an allergic reaction, or they have problems with staining on their skin when carat variations of gold are combined with other types of metal. Gold artisans can hammer and form gold into practically any shape he desires. Gold is so durable, that it can even be hammered into very small string-like pieces without easily breaking.

    The Stamping Process

    • According to the 1906 National Gold and Silver Marking Act, gold jewelry is required to be stamped with the amount of carats it holds. The purpose of this is to guarantee the value of the carats. This must be done by all jewelers who sell gold or silver. Special stamping tools are used for stamping jewelry. The stamps are labeled with the karat amount on it ranging from ten carat to 24 carat. When it is time to stamp the jewelry, the proper stamp is chosen according to how many carats the jewelry consist of and the stamp is hit with a hammer. This results in a deep embossing of the carat amount imprinted inside of the jewelry piece. The jewelry is then guaranteed by the jeweler that the jewelry consist of the carat amount stamped on it within 1/2 carat.

    Gold Jewelry Stamps

    • Gold jewelry has markings or stamps such as 18K, 14K or 10K. The K stands for karat or carat. The markings reveal the amount of pure gold that a piece of jewelry holds. The higher the karat number, the higher the gold amount within the jewelry. For example, jewelry labeled 24K is pure gold. Eighteen karat (18K) jewelry consists of 18 fractions of gold and 6 fractions of one or more other precious metals. Eighteen karat gold is 75 percent gold. Fourteen karat (14K) gold jewelry consists of 14 fractions of gold and 10 fractions of one or more other metals. Fourteen karat jewelry is 58.3 percent gold. Twelve karat (12K) gold consists of 12 fractions of gold and 12 fractions of one or more other metals. 12K gold is 50 percent gold. Within the United States, 10K gold is the lowest karat that can be considered gold. Ten karat gold is only 41.7 percent gold.


Read more: How Is Gold Stamped on Jewelry? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4797688_how-gold-stamped-jewelry.html#ixzz1VA3fDKYrhttp://  http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4797688_how-gold-stamped-jewelry.html
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