Gold content "non-stamped" jewelry for sale

[goldanalog]

I have been finding gold content jewelry with my electronic gold tester. I'm using a lower cost one. It separates the gold content jewelry into Flash Gold, > 10 K, >14 K and > 18 K. I then separate them into three groups, strong magnetic, lower magnetic and non-magnetic. I don't have that much, some I'll be selling as jewelry, probably about 5 lbs will be for sale here. I have never done this before but have a 100% positive ebay account, the same account since 1998. Putting this out there for possible buyers but also to gather more information.

 

[Alabama938]

The thickness of the plate is really what we wanna know, for that you’ll need to scratch test I think

 

[goldanalog]

OK, it will take me some time to separate the sell-able stuff from the scrap, with the holidays and my other businesses.

Can you give me some pointers on how to know this by scratching?

I can see the decomposition of the structure, like cracking with the heavy pliers sometimes looses the gold plating off.

 

[upcyclist]

Your best bet, to sell or refine, will be the karat gold. I might use non-magnetic plated junk to inquart with, but personally I wouldn't pay much (if anything at all) for it.

 

[goldanalog]

Oh, so you know all "non-stamped" non-magnetic testing as gold with an electronic tester jewelry is junk?

(oops, I was a bit jumpy there, I see you weren't implying all I had was junk, lol)

Some jewelers don't stamp, some is worn off (and this is well known in the antique jewelry community).

 

[cejohnsonsr1]

Oh, so you know all "non-stamped" non-magnetic testing as gold with an electronic tester jewelry is junk?

Some jewelers don't stamp, some is worn off (and this is well known in the antique jewelry community).

Plated jewelry is never stamped. Gold filled and karat gold are always stamped. You can tell the difference by filing a little notch and testing beneath the surface of the unmarked material. What you have to understand is that the plated gold is real, but there's just not enough of it to be worth the time, effort and expense to recover it. Most people won't by anything unmarked unless they can test it. Unfortunately, the test is almost guaranteed to damage the piece, so even if it turns out to be karat or filled it's still going to be scrap.

 

[goldanalog]

High priced electronic testers can test without damaging the piece.

According to Google, "United States enacted the Gold and Silver Stamping Act in 1906"

Gold jewelry before and after 1906 sometimes does not have stamps because of wear but on an major antique jewelry forum recently I raised this question and someone said it's well known in the jewelry community that some makers do not karat stamp their work. Not sure if there has ever been a prosecution in something like this. Also, stamps wear down because of the softness of gold, that is also well known.

 

[FrugalRefiner]

Plated jewelry is never stamped. Gold filled and karat gold are always stamped.

As someone who spent many years making sterling and gold filled jewelry, I can tell you that I never stamped a single piece I made. I worked with sterling and gold filled wire that was usually .028 or .032 inch thick. At that time, there were no stamps small enough to use on wire that size.

I also have a number of pieces of gold plated crap that are stamped 14K.

You simply cannot rely on the presence or absence of a stamp to determine if jewelry is karat, gold filled, gold plated, or gold colored.

Dave

 

[cejohnsonsr1]

As someone who spent many years making sterling and gold filled jewelry, I can tell you that I never stamped a single piece I made. I worked with sterling and gold filled wire that was usually .028 or .032 inch thick. At that time, there were no stamps small enough to use on wire that size.

I also have a number of pieces of gold plated crap that are stamped 14K.

You simply cannot rely on the presence or absence of a stamp to determine if jewelry is karat, gold filled, gold plated, or gold colored.

Dave

I agree absolutely with your last statement. That was kinda the point I was making. No one is going to simply take it on faith that an unmarked piece of jewelry is of any value. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone trying to mark gold wire. Karat gold is an alloy. You might use wire to make the alloy, but you wouldn't mark the wire. You'd mark the alloy. Gold filled is thick enough to withstand marking. Plated really isn't. The whole point I was trying to make was that you really have to determine what the material actually is before you try to sell it or work with it.

 

[butcher]

If it's yellow or has the word gold in the description, it seems to sell on eBay, sometimes for much more than the little gold (if any) that may be involved.

Very few people really understand the values of gold or really know much about it, those who do understand, also know how to test the article and determine the gold and its value, the wise buyer may pay attention to a stamp as a reference, but do not trust, they test, verify the relative value.

Most see yellow color and then buy with gold fever, they see a few sparkles and believe they will be rich.
Some like yellow and will pay high prices for the jewelry, with no real understanding of the values of the metals involved.

 

[Topher_osAUrus]

Yeah, just had a guy a few days ago who was in utter disbelief that his "18k figaro chain" was nothing but plated bunk junk

I may be recalling incorrectly (need coffee), but, I believe it was pre 1930's when stamping of karat jewelry was not mandated? (I'd have to look in Hoke's books to be 100% certain) Right before uncle sam held out his hand in need of everyones gold for 'the good of the country' (and i think Eisenhower's highway system).

 

[galenrog]

When dealing with gold, work according to the adage “Unless testing proves otherwise, it is plated”.

Time for more coffee.

 

[cejohnsonsr1]

Very early on I made the mistake of buying anything yellow only to discover just how much was plated and just how little gold there is in plated. I got no dog in the fight here. I'm just saying it's either got to be marked or I gotta test it before I buy anything. And unless it's someone I know and trust, I gotta test it anyway. Just sayin '...