What does a "14" on the inside of a band mean?

[bensonpope]

I was told by a jewler that this was platinum, but another person told me that that signifies white gold 14k. Can someone tell me a way to tell whether a bankd is truly platinum?

 

[denverappraiser]

Most appraisers, jewelers and even pawnshops use an acid test that involves some fairly hasardous chemicals. There are also electrical conductivity tools available. As a consumer, the easiest way is to find an appraiser and ask them.

The presence of a karat mark in the ring is some level of clue to it''s makeup but this is far from conclusive. What it really means is that sometime in the history of the ring, it passed through the hands of someone with a $10 tool. It would be a bit unusual for someone to mark a platinum ring as 14k but I''ve seen it done. The opposite is far more common. Take quality marks with a grain of salt.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[RockDoc]

You should be able to see another marking in close proximetry to the "14" or 14K.

If your item doesn''t have an additional marking, I would be suspicious of the gold content (or platinum). Be aware of HGE markings. They generally refer to HEAVY GOLD ELECTROPLATE. The marking of KP usually means Gold Plumb which is a bit more reliable, but not conclusive.

This additional marking "notifies" you of WHO put the stamp in the item ( and who is liabile if it isn''t as marked).


The only really accurate way of determining karat fineness is by assay. This requires cutting a small piece away and sending it to testing facilities that accurately do this. BUT I DO NOT ADVISE YOU TO DO THIS UNLESS YOU ARE OBSERVING OXIDATION IN THE ITEM.

If the item is cast, different areas of the item may vary as to gold content.

As Neil wrote there are testing acids, and electrical condcutivity instruments that come close to the gold content. But the acids used in the testing generally require the item be polished afterwards. Also a surface test is not always accurate for plated items. To get past a plating, you need to file a small section of the surface of the item. This of course "damages" the ring so it isn''t practical.

I would only be concerned if there is no trademark accompanying the karat fineness mark.

Underkarating ( supplying an item that has less gold content than it''s marking was very common in past years) was prevalent in the 60-80''s. Since that time laws were passed to reduce the legal tolerance. It used to be 1/2 karat. Now, it is far more exacting. (See FTC Jewelry Guidelines).




Rockdoc