GOLD-FILLED JEWELRY
"They are made by heat- and pressure-bonding a layer of karat gold to a brass (or other base metal) core.
"The '14/20' or '12/10' notation you see on gold-filled products refers to the industry shorthand describing the resulting material. The first number is the karat purity of the gold used; the second number is the amount, by weight, of gold in relation to the base-metal core.
“14/20' gold-filled material is made with 14-karat gold, and the quantity of gold represents 1/20th (or 5 percent) of the total weight of the material. You may occasionally see other notations, too; each will inform you about the material’s make-up. For example, '14/40' gold-filled is composed of 14-karat gold that represents 1/40th (or 2.5%) of the overall weight of the material.
"The value of gold-filled is greater than gold-plated because gold-filled has an actual layer of karat gold on the surface, not just a microscopic film, as is the case with gold-plated items."
*Read Rio Grande's full article about gold-filled jewelry*
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