Caratage Counts

Decided to get physical, and invest in gold Antique Jewelry? Caratage counts! Other terms you hear, that mean the same thing, are the words, carat or karat, and indicates the percentage of gold present in the object, with 24 karats being the highest, pure gold and lower ratings less.

The word "karat" is derived from the fruit of the carob tree. The seed was called ”carubis” and originally a unit of weight (mass) based on the carob seed, which had an approximate weight of around 0.2 grams and was used in Mesopotamia, now modern Iraq, to weigh gold.

Caratage by other names? The word CARAT in Italian, is called CARATO; in Arabic - QIRAT; in Greek - KREA'TION.

The purity of Gold Coin Jewelry, for example, is derived from the gold content, the fineness, or simply, the quality of the gold. GP markings on gold jewelry usually indicate the metal used in the construction is "Gold Plate" and not comprised of solid gold.

Many Antique Jewelry Hallmarks may include the Millesimal mark or the Millesimal Fineness.

This is a system denoting the purity of gold alloys by parts per thousand of pure metal in the alloy (this system also denotes the fineness of platinum and silver).

The millesimal fineness is usually rounded to a three figure number, particularly where used as a gold hallmark. For example, an alloy containing 75% gold is denoted as ‘750’, known as 18k gold.

By Following these simple guidelines about caratage, you will be able to identify and period date Antique Gold Jewelry with a lot more accuracy.

Researching British Hallmarks which includes researching Standard Marks, City Marks, Date Letters and Maker's Marks is a basic guide to hallmarks, and it's free on Antique Jewelry Investor! Don't forget to bookmark the page;-)

Karatage & Caratage - What's the Difference?

Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries originating from the British Empire use the abbreviation ct for carat - as in 9 carat gold, or 9ct. South East Asia, China that's-ancient-and-blue, Europe and the United States use the word karat. Jewelry originating from theses countries is usually marked - 14k or 14k or 14kt etc.

The latter countries introduced the karat "kt" to simply differentiate the word carat (for gold quality) and carat (for gemstone weights).

Diamonds, are always weighed in carats and points. 100 points = 1 carat weight. One carat equals a fifth of a gram.

The name ”carat” comes from a seed of the carob tree. The seed was called ”carubis” and had an approximate weight of about 0.2 grams and was used in Mesopotamia to weigh gold.

To avoid confusion, "kt" or "k" (US standard as in 14K gold), will be used when referring to gold carat throughout this site, to avoid possible confusion with diamond and gemstone measurement of weight which is also "carat".

Although there is no International Hallmark System, we do have an International System of compulsory marks attesting the gold content. This will range anywhere from 8 kt up to the highest fineness of gold which is 24 kt gold jewelry. See Compulsory Marks and Content below:

Metal: Caratage | Compulsory Marks

Antique Gold Jewelry has two distinct stores of value: The "Antique" store of value and the "Gold" store of value.

If you you probably already know that Gold Prices have recently crossed $1,000 an once for the first time since 1980, a record high! Generally, the higher the gold content of the Gold Antique Jewelry, the higher the antique appraisal value.

Since antiquity, throughout the History of jewelry, countries and governments have kept a close eye on their gold reserves and some countries today only allow certain caratages to be even sold.

In the sixties, the Indian government prohibited people from buying gold bars and coins. Investing in Antique Indian Jewelry? Read More HERE

In the United Kingdom, one can still make and sell 9, 14, 18 and 22 carat gold jewelry but not 12 as the latter is not even recognized by law.

In other countries, such as Portugal, for example, any type of Jewelry lower than 12 ct (50% gold or 500 fineness) cannot even be described as gold because 19.2 carats is the standard. Today, the lowest recognized standard is 8 carats or 33.3% gold content which is in Germany.

The Low Caratage Advantage

Lower the gold content and the greater the strength and hardness over pure gold (999 fineness), leading to improved wear and scratch resistant properties, and jewelry less liable to distortion and damage.

Gold Jewelry is as-good-as-GOLD! Below listed are the - GOLDEN RULES.

Golden Rules of Caratage

How Is The price Of Gold FIXED? Read More HERE

✔ 24 k gold jewelry is theoretically 100% gold.

✔ All Antique Victorian Jewelry, Diamond-set was topped in silver to make the Diamonds appear whiter.

✔ 14 carat Gold was used for the screws and butterfly backs.

✔ White Gold was substituted for Silver in ca. 1910.

✔ In 1854 there was a monumental change to British hallmarking, by allowing the carat number plus the decimal point, ie. 9 with .375, 18 with.750 to be marked on Jewelry.

✔ 15ct gold was the Victorian favorite.

✔ 9 ct denotes modern British Jewelry.

✔ In Chinese, 24 carat gold jewelry is also known as "Chuk Kam".

✔ 21 carat gold, fineness of 875 is the recognized standard in Arabic countries.

✔ 22 carat gold, fineness of 916 is the recognised standard in India and the sub continent.

✔ Gold has a tendency to wear away over time and decrease in volume and weight when in use.

✔ Before 1854 there were no 9ct, 12ct or 15ct Gold marked British Jewelry.

✔ 12 ct and 15 ct were discontinued in 1932 in Britain when the 14ct standard was introduced.

✔ Platinum is over thirty times more rarer than gold.

✔ The properties of Platinum allow for more intricate and finer jewelry designs than possible with Gold.

✔ The content in Platinum is indicated in parts per thousand and not in carats as in Gold.

✔ Unlike Gold, Platinum has not got a long history of use in Jewelry, anything earlier than 1900 is rare.

✔ The hardness of platinum whilst being an attribute makes it difficult to work from the jewellers perspective, and takes longer in making and finishing a platinum piece of jewellery than in any other precious metal.

✔ If an item of gold is solid and sealed by solder joins, then any part of the item can be stamped, as the mark refers to all of it.

Have You Seen The Jewel Of The Month Yet?

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