Gold-filled jewellery is not the same as solid gold. Use this tool to compare marks, construction, wear and testing evidence and understand where gold-filled jewellery sits between ordinary plating and solid-gold construction.
Use several construction clues together.
Gold-filled jewellery uses a mechanically bonded gold layer over a base-metal core. U.S. terminology and marking are governed by FTC jewellery guidance, and products commonly use marks such as “1/20 14K GF.” 5
A gold-filled product can contain substantially more gold in its bonded layer than a thin conventional plating. However, it remains a composite rather than a solid gold-alloy piece.
In common U.S. marking conventions, a fraction such as 1/20 indicates the proportion of total product weight represented by the specified gold layer. The exact legal terminology and marking rules can vary by jurisdiction, so markings should be interpreted in context.
Because gold-filled pieces have two materials, surface-only testing can be misleading. Examine construction and use multiple independent tests where the result matters financially.
A base metal core with a mechanically bonded gold-alloy layer.
No.
It is a common U.S.-style gold-filled marking indicating the fraction and karat of the gold layer.
It can have meaningful gold content but is not valued like solid gold throughout.
No. A negative response cannot distinguish gold-filled from solid gold.