OTHER KINDS OF GOLD AND SILVER

Confused The terminology is confusing, and the following examples are offered to help clarify the situation. If you see "14 K. Gold Plate," 1/20 of the total weight of the jewelry is 14-karat gold. If you see "1 /30 14 K. Gold Plate," the 14-karat gold is only 1/30 of the total weight of the jewelry. Remember, any of the abbreviations given above may also be used.

The point to keep in mind is that the smaller the amount of gold, the thinner the layer of gold bonded to the base metal is and the sooner the gold will wear off and the base metal show through. In addition, the smaller the amount of gold, regardless of the number of karats, the cheaper the price will be. At the same time, what you are getting on top is genuine gold that looks like gold and will wear like gold, depending on the thickness.

Another point to keep in mind is how and how often you will be wearing the jewelry. Rolled gold or gold plate may be perfectly adequate for a fad or high-fashion piece of jewelry, such as a stickpin, that may be the height of fashion this year and passe next year. On the other hand, if you are buying jewelry for all-around wear, such as a ring or a necklace, you want as thick a layer of gold as possible and possibly solid gold. Thus, you want to balance wearability with price in deciding how to spend your jewelry dollar.

Gold may also be electroplated, in which case no karat marking can be used. The metal is basically a base metal with none of the distinctive characteristics of karat gold. If the jewelry is marked "Gold Electroplate," it means that the gold used is of at least 10-karat fineness and that the coating is the equivalent of 7 millionths of an inch thick. If the coating is thicker and equivalent to 100 millionths of an inch of at least 10-karat gold, the item can be marked "Heavy Gold Electroplate."