# Question from a new guy



## Anonymous

I collect vintage jewelry and also watch for PM while looking. Today I found a heavy necklace marked 14KGS. I had a little one last week marked the same and it tested 14K. Can anyone tell me was the 'GS' stands for? Thanks in advance.


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## catfish

Firewalker:

You ask the question, what is 14KGS? It is an item that is gold shelled. you may want to test this item, for it probally dont have much gold in it.

If you buy gold jewelry, you may want to make a note of the following:

GF is gold filled

RGP rolled gold plate

HGE Heavy gold plate

GP gold plate

KP Karat Plated

GS Gold shelled

EPNS Electroplated nickel silver (german Silver)

If you buy any of the above items, make sure that you test them with nitric acids and also only pay a small amount for them. I usually file about 1/16th in notch in the items and you can isolate any of the above items from the real stuff like karat gold.

Hope this helps.

Catfish


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## Anonymous

Thanks, I knew what the others were, but never heard od gold shelled.


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## eforio

What about KP as in Karat Plumb

In Europe they use KP to signify that there are exactly X parts of gold, so 14KP means that there are exactly 14 parts gold or 58.5% gold.

http://askville.amazon.com/jewelery-marked-14kp-real-gold/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=41375370


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## Anonymous

The laws governing legal hallmark markings vary.In the U.S. the law used to be that an item can have a specific hallmark as long as the purity is within .5 karats of said marking.In other words an item of 13.5 karat purity could legally be legally marked 14k.And beleive me,any company that could take advantage of it...did take advantage of it.I am not sure if that law is still in effect today.
Karat Plumb states,that the jewelry must be exactly what the hallmark indicates....IE.14k must be dead on 14k.
I am not familiar with other countries' laws concerning the issue.
However 14k does NOT mean 14 parts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallmark


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## Oz

mic said:


> However 14k does NOT mean 14 parts.


Well Mic, it actually is 14 parts gold in 24 parts total in the case of 14K.

As to legal under karating of gold in the US, prior to October 1st 1981 it was legally allowed to be stamped ½ karat under the actual gold content if no solder was used in its manufacture. If solder was used it could legally be 1 full karat under the hallmarked karat content.

After October 1st 1981 gold jewelry not containing solder could only deviate from its hallmark purity by 3 parts in 1000, and gold jewelry with solder is allowed to deviate by 7 parts in 1000.

As an aside, It is not legal to hallmark Gold Jewelry made in the US at less than 10K (you will see 9K as an example in England).


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## tylersdisciple

I too have a piece marked 14kgs. I figured it was gold plated but I was told that the marking usually meant it was gold over silver. I scratched off the gold in a spot, tested it with silver acid tester and it came up black. A guy at a pawn shop told me it was a very low content of silver. It also has a very weak magnetic property to it. I am just learning all this stuff and any help would be appreciated. Thank you!


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## Harold_V

tylersdisciple said:


> I too have a piece marked 14kgs. I figured it was gold plated but I was told that the marking usually meant it was gold over silver. I scratched off the gold in a spot, tested it with silver acid tester and it came up black. A guy at a pawn shop told me it was a very low content of silver.


Yes. Very low. Like none. The test, were it done with nitric acid, would have yielded a cream colored substrate, with a hint of blue in the solution from the copper contained in the sterling. A black reaction indicates white metals---of no value to you as a refiner. Alternately, the notch could have been tested with Schwerter's solution, which is a fool proof method of testing for silver. 



> It also has a very weak magnetic property to it. I am just learning all this stuff and any help would be appreciated. Thank you!


I expect there's a thin layer of nickel under the gold, which should be slightly magnetic. It's a barrier layer applied to prevent migration of gold to the base metal. 

You said the piece is marked 14kgs. Is that exactly how it is marked? 

Harold


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## tylersdisciple

It seams Schwerter's solution is a better test.
Can you give me a formula for small batches? Where can I buy Potassium dichromate and nitric acid? 

The exact markings are
14KGS



Thanks!


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## Harold_V

tylersdisciple said:


> It seams Schwerter's solution is a better test.
> Can you give me a formula for small batches?


I'm going to have to trust to memory here, but someone on the board may be able to provide precise instructions. Seems to me 3/4 ounce of nitric and 1/4 ounce of water (distilled) was used to dissolve about a gram of potassium dichromate. A small testing bottle with a glass stopper and dauber makes the use very easy. Avoid almost all plastics, as the nitric degenerates their properties and they fail. 



> Where can I buy Potassium dichromate and nitric acid?


If you're anywhere near me, here in Western Washington, I'll give you a little of each, which I have. Both are used for pickling stainless steel, so I held some in reserve when I sold my refining business. Otherwise, you're at the mercy of input from other readers. I no longer have any connections for purchasing chemicals, and things have changed drastically since I closed the doors. 



> The exact markings are 14KGS


Thanks for your efforts. I am not the least bit familiar with that marking, which I do not recall ever seeing before. I'm inclined to think it means 14K gold surface----which is why it tested black beneath the gold. I'm keenly interested in hearing from anyone that can enlighten me as to its true meaning. 

Harold


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## philddreamer

I did a search & I found several answers & it means "Gold over Silver". 
So, Tylersdisciple, by testing the metal underneath, if indeed its positive for silver, will confirm this for us.
Keep us posted.

Thanks!

Phil


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## tylersdisciple

Harold- I live in SW Montana. Probably not quite close enough. I'd pay for shipping and anything you would need to ship it thought. If that is a possibility. Paypal?

I'll do some more research and keep you all posted.
Thanks All!


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## kuma

Hello all , how are things ?
I hope all is well!
I've just had a look about with regards to the "14KGS" question.
The "GS" stands for "Gold Shell".
I hope this can be of some use! 
All the best and kind regards , 
Chris

http://tinyurl.com/d3c439k


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## kuma

After re-reading the whole thread again , I noticed that Catfish had already pointed out that the item is *gold shelled*.
I appolagise!  
All the best all and kind regards ,
Chris


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## Harold_V

tylersdisciple said:


> Harold- I live in SW Montana. Probably not quite close enough. I'd pay for shipping and anything you would need to ship it thought. If that is a possibility. Paypal?
> 
> I'll do some more research and keep you all posted.
> Thanks All!


I'm not convinced I'd be able to package a small amount of nitric in an acceptable way for it to be delivered. I have an eight gallon stainless container that has, maybe, a couple gallons within. This stuff is highly corrosive, and requires proper handling in order to be shipped. I'm simply not set up for that, and I live well away from any major city, where I'd be able to procure the necessary packaging. Don't mean to sound uncooperative, but that's the reality. You'd be better served to find a source near you. Dairies use nitric for maintaining their milking equipment. Could be you can find one near you. If they'd be willing to spring for a couple ounces (nice to have an ounce for testing base metals, too), I'd be willing to mail you a small container of potassium dichromate. Let me know. 

Harold


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## Harold_V

kuma said:


> After re-reading the whole thread again , I noticed that Catfish had already pointed out that the item is *gold shelled*.
> I appolagise!
> All the best all and kind regards ,
> Chris


Gold shell, or gold shelled. That makes more sense, and was in keeping with my thoughts. 

To simply mark an item as S (for silver) makes no sense. Pure silver? 720? 925? Coin? Can't speak for current marking laws, but older marking laws dictate that the alloy must be specified. For that reason, alone, I had discounted the idea that the S stood for silver. 

Thanks

Harold


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## tylersdisciple

Harold_V said:


> tylersdisciple said:
> 
> 
> 
> Harold- I live in SW Montana. Probably not quite close enough. I'd pay for shipping and anything you would need to ship it thought. If that is a possibility. Paypal?
> 
> I'll do some more research and keep you all posted.
> Thanks All!
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not convinced I'd be able to package a small amount of nitric in an acceptable way for it to be delivered. I have an eight gallon stainless container that has, maybe, a couple gallons within. This stuff is highly corrosive, and requires proper handling in order to be shipped. I'm simply not set up for that, and I live well away from any major city, where I'd be able to procure the necessary packaging. Don't mean to sound uncooperative, but that's the reality. You'd be better served to find a source near you. Dairies use nitric for maintaining their milking equipment. Could be you can find one near you. If they'd be willing to spring for a couple ounces (nice to have an ounce for testing base metals, too), I'd be willing to mail you a small container of potassium dichromate. Let me know.
> 
> Harold
Click to expand...


Sounds good, Thanks!


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## kuma

Hi all! How are things today ?
I hope all is well!  



Harold_V said:


> To simply mark an item as S (for silver) makes no sense. Pure silver? 720? 925? Coin? Can't speak for current marking laws, but older marking laws dictate that the alloy must be specified. For that reason, alone, I had discounted the idea that the S stood for silver.



That's a handy piece of info Harold , thank you for that!
When I finaly get around to going looking for bits to process from car-boot sales and such I'll bear that in mind. 
If I come across a silver *looking* piece that doesn't have a hallmark or a stamp , I'll leave it be. 
Before your post above , if I'd have come across a piece that looked like it could have been silver , and if it was cheap enough , there's a good chance that I would have taken a _punt_ on it and wasted a couple of pounds on the off chance that it was! :lol: 
(Note to self , source some Schwerter's solution)
Thanks again ,
All the best and kind regards ,
Chris


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## Harold_V

kuma said:


> (Note to self , source some Schwerter's solution)


It should be noted that Schwerter's solution, alone, may not be a conclusive test. I say that because silver plated items will respond exactly the same way silver alloys (that contain a high percentage of silver) do. Schwerter's tests surface only, unless you provide a reason to test deeper. 

Assuming you can do a destructive test on a piece, a notch is filed on an edge, using the corner of a file. Depth of the notch is important, to ensure that you get beneath the plating, assuming it is plated. Schwerter's will still respond with a red reaction, but observe the notch itself. If the item is base metal, nickel or copper alloy, the notch will respond with a blue/green solution. If the item is silver through, the notch will be blood red. 

A better test for base metals with silver is just straight nitric, although when there's any doubt, both tests can be applied to verify results. A drop of nitric applied to a filed notch in plated items will respond with an instant blue solution. If the item is silver, the silver surface will be etched and have a slight cream colored surface afterwards. 

Testing is very important in the scheme of things. It can save you a serious amount of time and frustration. I encourage everyone to study the portion of Hoke's book that deals with testing. Do so until you understand what she teaches. You won't regret the time you spend. Promise! 8) 

Harold


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## kuma

Hello all , how are things today?
I hope all is well!



Harold_V said:


> kuma said:
> 
> 
> 
> (Note to self , source some Schwerter's solution)
> 
> 
> 
> It should be noted that Schwerter's solution, alone, may not be a conclusive test. I say that because silver plated items will respond exactly the same way silver alloys (that contain a high percentage of silver) do. Schwerter's tests surface only, unless you provide a reason to test deeper. Harold
Click to expand...


Once again , thank you for the heads up! :mrgreen: 
All the best and kind regards ,
Chris


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## Rreyes097

So how would you recommend Kgs be processed? In sulphuric acid cell or like gold filled?


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