Again, “925 gold” doesn't actually exist. This hallmark only indicates the purity of the sterling silver base beneath the gold. Knowing this, you should be aware that gold jewelry with a 925 hallmark or stamp is typically going to be less valuable than solid gold jewelry.
When the hallmark is found on gold jewelry, most people think it means that the piece of jewelry contains 92.5% gold. However, 925 gold jewelry, also referred to as gold vermeil or costume jewelry, is actually sterling silver that has had gold plated onto it.
If gold jewelry is too expensive, it can go through gilded silver jewelry (made of 925 sterling silver) can be replaced. Even with a small budget, 14 or 18k gold plating can give the jewelery the appearance of solid gold jewellery.
2) There's no such thing at 92.5% gold. When you see 925 stamped on your gold jewelry, it means that the your gold jewelry is not actually gold-filled, it's just gold-plated. 925 is a marking associated with sterling silver, meaning that the metal is 92.5% pure silver.
Yes, 925 gold is pawnable, however it is not made of solid gold. If you try to pawn a piece of jewelry stamped with 925, you are likely to get less money for it than you might expect. The . 925 stamp is an indication that your jewelry is made from sterling silver.
Tarnish is the oxidization that occurs when air-borne sulfurs and chlorides are present, causing a yellowish cast on the sterling silver.
Your 925 silver is valuable and is certainly worth selling if this is something you wish to do. Though knowing how much your silver is worth can be difficult to determine without an appraisal. How much silver you are selling and the current value of silver can influence what your item can be sold for.
999, for example, is the purist amount, essentially 24 karat gold with a 99.9999% purity. On the other hand, 750 is indicative of a 75% purity level, better known to most as 18 karat gold. The 3-digit stamp sequence generally gets identified as follows: 999.9 or 999 – 24 karat gold.
According to Rong, you should be able to maintain high-quality gold-plated jewelry for up to five years with proper care. “It's really a matter of keeping it away from the elements—salt, water, sweat, and high humidity—and chemicals from cleaners or perfumes,” Going agrees.
Look for Stamps or Hallmarks in Your Gold Jewelry
Most real gold is stamped with a hallmark that indicates its purity, aka its karat. The karat is the unit used to measure the purity of gold. The higher the karat, the purer the gold. The most common karats you'll see are 10k, 14k, 18k, 22K, and 24k.
If you're looking to resell your gold plated jewelry item and want to know if it is worth anything, the truth is that gold plated jewelry items are not worth much. The reason for this is that the coating, or layer, of gold on the outside of the item is so thin that there are only a few microns of gold in the plating.
There are markings such as “S925”, “. 925”, and “925”. This gives assurance that the silver is indeed a 925 sterling silver. However, there are some sterling silver that don't have these marks so don't directly assume that the silver is fake if it doesn't have the mentioned markings.
With proper care, you can maintain gold-plated jewelry for up to five years. This entails following our recommendations above concerning proper storage and keeping your gold-plated jewelry away from elements that can affect the gold layer. Home-plating kits are also widely available.
Sterling silver and 925 silver are both composed of the same silver alloy blend; the only difference is in the names. The international benchmark for describing Sterling Silver is "925 Sterling Silver." Silver makes up 92.5 percent of 925 Silver, with copper making up the remaining 7.5 percent.
Gold metals are represented by an octagonal fineness shape. '375' is the mark for 9ct gold, which means it is 37.5% gold and 62.5% other alloys, '525' is the mark for 14ct gold meaning 52.5% is pure gold and 47.5% is other alloys and '750' is the mark of 18ct gold, meaning it is 75% pure gold and 25% other alloys.
Look for a Hallmark Stamp: Look for a stamp or mark on the piece that says "STER," "925," "800," OR "999." 925 or STER means it's 92.5% pure silver, which is traditional sterling, 999 means 99.9% pure which is fine silver, and 800 means it's 80% pure silver or a lower quality than sterling silver.
Acid test.
An acid test can reveal the karat of solid gold jewelry, but it can also show whether jewelry is solid gold or gold-plated. With an acid test, a small sample of the jewelry is removed and exposed to acid to induce a color change. The resulting colors indicate which type of metal the jewelry is made of.
White gold is stronger and more durable than silver. The combination of metals give white gold its color and durability. Without it, pure gold is just as soft as pure silver. Additionally, white gold may be rhodium plated, which gives it a shiny top layer.
In fine jewelry, the most desirable kind of gold plating is gold over sterling silver, sometimes called "vermeil." Just as is sounds, vermeil is sterling silver that has been plated with a 14kt or 18kt gold in yellow, rose, or white.
In Australia there has never been and still isn't a silver or gold marking required on items. It is of course in the best interest of the jeweller to mark their jewellery and many did. Silver pieces are often only marked STG SIL, STG SILVER or Sterling Silver.
999” or “1.000” would be pure gold and thus the same as 24 karat. Nonetheless, if an item of jewelry does not have this stamp – it is not necessarily proof positive that the item is made from fake gold. This is particularly true of older items of jewelry.
Gold Purity Marks
Purity marks on gold jewelry will consist of a two-digit number followed by the letter “k,” or a three-digit number. The letter “k” refers to karats, where pure gold is composed of 24 karats (24k).
Since sterling silver has a lower percentage of silver than pure silver, sterling silver is less expensive. Of the three types of metals, it's typically the least expensive choice. You'll also find more jewelry options in sterling silver since it's a more accessible material to mold into different shapes.
Usually, eight out of 10 pieces made of . 925 silver are worth the material value. One troy ounce of pure silver is worth $24.02 today and one troy ounce of . 925 silver is worth $24.02.
If you see 925 engraved on the ring, that means it's a sterling silver setting. Usually, engagement rings with a larger center diamond won't be set in sterling silver because it's too soft. And if you see a stamp that says "CZ," you're looking at a cubic zirconia stone, rather than a real diamond.