Plum Gold. Ever heard of it?

[ForteKitty]

I''ve seen the terms "plum 14kt gold", "14kt plum gold", and "14ktp" a few times lately, and couldn''t find anything about it onlin. What is it?

 

[pyramid]

Fortekitty I think they spell it 'plumb'. I remember reading something about it onetime and I think it just means it is exactly the karat gold stated instead of like 584.98 it would be 585.00 or for 18 karat exactly 750.00 Also if I remember correctly it is manufactured like that by the big refining houses, meaning a jeweller could not mix his own up and be that accurate.

 

[etienneperret]

14kt plumb gold is actually at least 14/24''s gold with the rest being alloy material. In the past the manufactures went to the government for some leeway and were given an allowance of 1/2 carat. Today with much more accurate measurement tools there is now reason a jewelry manufacture can not get it right. Just remember the jeweler must have at least 14/24''s gold, there is no harm in adding a little extra gold just to be on the safe side. But then again that costs more money when you consider the other alloy material is silver and copper.

 

[denverappraiser]

As with many things, the percentage of gold content can be a more difficult question than it seems like it deserves. Jewelers have had pretty good scales for a long time and alloying accurately is not difficult. The problem comes when the finished item has more than one metallic component. Solder, for example, is traditionally a little lower in gold content so a piece that is assembled using solders will, in the aggregate, have a slightly lower karatage. This logic is why the US has allowed 13.50001 karat to be marked 14k. The Europeans have not taken the same approach. In Europe, 18k means a minimum of 18/24 gold and there are relatively severe penalties to the manufacturer for screwing it up. Not surprisingly, metallurgists have figured out that that extra 0.49/24 bonus is easy to arrange and can add up to a fair amount of money so American manufacturers developed a reputation for selling less than they were promising. The reputable manufactures have responded by selling ‘plumb’ golds, which means that they are using the absolute definitions and usually a little more just to stay out of trouble. Most manufacturers are now doing this and, actually, plumb solders are now readily available as well.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[ForteKitty]

I see. Thanks!

So when a ring is stamped 14KP, that''s what it means? I have an old floral ring with that stamp and always thought it was only plated in 14kt gold. It doesn''t matter either way, but i was just curious.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Yes, "14kp" is the stamp for 14 karat plumb gold, a full 14 karat.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Good info thanks everyone.

This is the type of info I''d like to see in FAQ section. Maybe a thread about stamps/hallmarks used on jewelry?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

thanks for the explanation guys.

I knew it meant the real thing - but never knew about the shady side.
What a weird law?

We have had compulsory full carat solders (and cadnium free) in Oz for about 20 years - the only ones that do not work well are the rose gold alloys.

Our practice is to put an extra 3 parts per thousand of fine gold into the melt.

Quiz question - when will we be able to buy antique white gold jewellery?

 

[pyramid]

2039?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

around 2018-2019 - metalurgists trained for world war I got jobs and bought science and technology to the trinket trade in Birmingham England - they discovered adding nickel or palladium masked the color of the orange gold.

They also made yellow gold below 15K possible via the addition of a tiny amount of zinc

 

[pyramid]

Oh I knew it was to do with the War so I picked World War II and was wrong.