Gold Hallmarking

[RAB3Group]

I have a nice collection of sterling but would like to expand it to include some gold. I have seen gold pieces in the shops, but havent pulled the trigger to buy anything due to lack of knowledge. I know the basics of marking such as 9kt, 14kt, 18kt, etc and 750, 583, ect. What I am looking for is a good book or reference site (Such as this one). I've looked at Amazon, nothing really pointing me to anything. If anyone has any idea, please pass it along.

[dognose]

Hi,

A useful, inexpensive volume is Goldstempel Aus Aller Welt - Jan Diviš - 1978

Trev.

[Francais]

I can't recommend any books, but I can give you some advice. While many gold marks are legitimate, there are lots that are misleading. Any given lot of 14k jewelry will rarely assay out to .585. There are lots of marks like "14k RGP", etc that are not gold, but gold filled or plated. Many old pieces especially in America aren't marked at all. In my opinion a small percentage of the people who sell second hand gold jewelry really know what they are doing. I would try to find someone who really knows how to test gold (difficult to find) and try to learn from them. Because it is so much more expensive, it is far more often faked, and much easier to get stung. I would tread very carefully.

Maurice