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That's hard to say...

When "gold filled" was created, they would fuse (~solder) true alloyed sheets of karat gold to thicker sheets of base metals creating a sandwich with karat gold on the outsides (the bread) and base metal filling (the meat) on the inside. The sandwich would be rolled into a thinner sheet, and items would be fabricated from this raw material.

Things have changed.

Now, I see things like a men's ring stamped as 1/20 12K GF. There is no way that such a piece is made from a sheet of traditional gold filled. In the US, the standard is based on the percentage of gold in the item. If an item like a ring is marked 1/20 12K GF, it is legal as long as the percentage of gold is 1/40th of the total weight of the piece. Gold filled still implies that the metal on the outside is a karated alloy of gold and base metals, but how manufacturers achieve that goal are probably closely guarded secrets.

My main experience with gold filled was in my early days making jewelry with gold filled wire. That wire was made in the traditional way, with a tube of hollow, karat gold fused to a rod of base metal fitted inside the tube. The wire was then drawn and rolled to the desired dimensions. When processed in nitric acid, the base metal core dissolved, leaving thick foils of 12 K alloyed gold.

Whether a piece of current gold filled jewelry will be obvious after stripping may depend on the particular piece and how it was made.

Dave

<blockquote data-quote="FrugalRefiner" data-source="post: 291037" data-attributes="member: 23255">That&#039;s hard to say...When &quot;gold filled&quot; was created, they would fuse (~solder) true alloyed sheets of karat gold to thicker sheets of base metals creating a sandwich with karat gold on the outsides (the bread) and base metal filling (the meat) on the inside.&nbsp; The sandwich would be rolled into a thinner sheet, and items would be fabricated from this raw material.Things have changed.Now, I see things like a men&#039;s ring stamped as 1/20 12K GF.&nbsp; There is no way that such a piece is made from a sheet of traditional gold filled.&nbsp; In the US, the standard is based on the percentage of gold in the item.&nbsp; If an item like a ring is marked 1/20 12K GF, it is legal as long as the percentage of gold is 1/40th of the total weight of the piece.&nbsp; Gold filled still implies that the metal on the outside is a karated alloy of gold and base metals, but how manufacturers achieve that goal are probably closely guarded secrets.My main experience with gold filled was in my early days making jewelry with gold filled wire.&nbsp; That wire was made in the traditional way, with a tube of hollow, karat gold fused to a rod of base metal fitted inside the tube.&nbsp; The wire was then drawn and rolled to the desired dimensions.&nbsp; When processed in nitric acid, the base metal core dissolved, leaving thick foils of 12 K alloyed gold.Whether a piece of current gold filled jewelry will be obvious after stripping may depend on the particular piece and how it was made.Dave</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FrugalRefiner, post: 291037, member: 23255"] That's hard to say... When "gold filled" was created, they would fuse (~solder) true alloyed sheets of karat gold to thicker sheets of base metals creating a sandwich with karat gold on the outsides (the bread) and base metal filling (the meat) on the inside. The sandwich would be rolled into a thinner sheet, and items would be fabricated from this raw material. Things have changed. Now, I see things like a men's ring stamped as 1/20 12K GF. There is no way that such a piece is made from a sheet of traditional gold filled. In the US, the standard is based on the percentage of gold in the item. If an item like a ring is marked 1/20 12K GF, it is legal as long as the percentage of gold is 1/40th of the total weight of the piece. Gold filled still implies that the metal on the outside is a karated alloy of gold and base metals, but how manufacturers achieve that goal are probably closely guarded secrets. My main experience with gold filled was in my early days making jewelry with gold filled wire. That wire was made in the traditional way, with a tube of hollow, karat gold fused to a rod of base metal fitted inside the tube. The wire was then drawn and rolled to the desired dimensions. When processed in nitric acid, the base metal core dissolved, leaving thick foils of 12 K alloyed gold. Whether a piece of current gold filled jewelry will be obvious after stripping may depend on the particular piece and how it was made. Dave [/QUOTE]

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