?Most gold jewelry manufactured in the U.S. is marked ''14K'' which means that the actual gold content in it is 58.3 percent. As pure gold is designated as 24-karat; hence, a 14-karat item consists of 14 parts gold and 10 parts of another metal known as an alloy which works out to 58.3 percent pure, unalloyed gold. The added alloy serves two purposes - They make the jewellery durable and reduce the prices greatly thereby making it affordable too.
?Sometimes gold pendants also come with the marking ''14KP''. Here ''P'' stands for plumb, meaning the pendant is exactly 14 parts pure gold.
?On the other hand if a gold pendant is engraved ''999'' it means it is a pure gold pendant which equivalent to 24-karat gold. ''999'' is the European designation for pure gold. Also sometimes more plentifully available in the market are European-manufactured pendants marked ''750'' which is equivalent to 18-karat or 75 percent pure gold. Actually, it is the 14K gold that is much popular in the US.
?The heft or weightiness of a gold item is measured in terms of Pennyweight. One troy ounce equals 20 pennyweights which equals 31.1 grams. Ounces and grams are the most common weights used in the U.S. and when you see prices quoted on pendants, such as $20 per gram it should be kept in mind that finished items, such as jewelry, have an artistic value that may be actually greater than the actual value of gold in it.
?Interestingly there are a few who would like to buy Gold in colors other than its natural yellow color which also has become quite a fashion. The most popular is the green gold. When gold is alloyed with metal combos like silver, zinc and copper, these metals contribute a subtle greenish tint. Only Copper is used to make pink gold and nickel is often used in white gold.
?Gold-plated items contain very thin topcoats of gold of about seven-millionths of an inch in thickness. Some better quality gold-plated items may also have more than the minimal 0.000007inch coating.
?Rules prescribe that the gold filling of an item should be at least 1/20 or 5 percent of the total weight of the item. Gold content must be stamped on items -- for example: 1/20 14K GF means the gold content is 14-karat and makes up one-twentieth of the total weight of the item.
