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Old Gold & Silver

How to determine the purity of your gold

You can find the hallmarks on your items to help you determine their value. Rings have their hallmark on the inside of the band, chains and necklaces usually have it located near or on the clasp, bracelets also have the markings on the clasp or inside of the band and on earrings the hallmark is usually stamped on the post or back of the earring. You want to look for markings like 585, 750 or 999 which indicate the gold content. 999 is 24 karat while 585 indicates 14 karat gold. You can also look for a sponsor mark from the maker, refiner or manufacturer.

Determining the purity of silver

The markings can be found in the same location on your jewelry as gold, but will typically be marked with 800, 825, 830 or 850 if it is continental silver indicating its varying silver content. Silver plate which has minimal silver content will be marked with EP or EPNS. Sterling silver will show a 925 marking indicating it is 92.5% pure. Anything marked 900 indicates 90% purity.

Do you know the level or gold or silver content?

The karat that your item is translated to the % of precious metal in the piece of jewelry. 24 karat jewelry is 99.9% pure or 0.999 fine while 14 karat jewelry contains 58.5% pure gold. The value of your item is determined by the metal content making determining the karat very important in estimating the value of your item.