Got home and figgered out I had a little gold.

[tabdog]

I hunted a couple of playgrounds this morning that are right close together in the same park. They
both have wood chips. All I had was my Compadre and Gray Ghost in my trunk. It has been raining
so much that tot lots are about all that is dry enough to hunt now.

I found $1.50 in clad, a token and some kids jewelry. One ear ring, a couple of charms, a few ear
ring backs and so on.

It was just another nice morning in the park. I got home and looked at my finds. When I checked
the stud ear ring with the diamond tester,(not a diamond, of coarse) I noticed some writing on
the back. I had never noticed writing on a stud ear ring like that. Had to look really close. It says
925.................:O

That means it's 92.5% gold. That's like 23k gold.

It ain't much but with today's gold prices, every little bit helps.

HH,

 

[TonyTX(MXT)]

Tabdog, Well ya did it again! Nice haul and some gold to boot You are getting some really tiny items it looks like. Is the one coin a very old one? Looks like it might be a shield. Good work and thanks for sharing with us! HH TonyTX

 

[tabdog]

Hay Tony,

That is a token. It says "NO CASH VALUE" on the other side.

I have lots of those. The gold was unexpected. Probably a mom

lost it. Most teens and younger dont have much 92.5% gold.

But you never know what them little rug rats are gonna make off

with.

HH,

 

[TonyTX(MXT)]

Cool on the tokens. I don't think I have ever found one of those. Yea that gold is nice. I need to pick up the pace it looks like, or attempt to anyway! Later, HH TonyTX

 

[kurt-ks]

Nice finds Tabdog, looks like it is fixen to rain in Arky land again.I thought 925 was silver never heard of 92.5% gold new one on me--Kurt

 

[dahut]

Yeah, double check that .925. Likely youre looking at a gold filled item. 23K is too soft for a jewelry setting and isn't seen but very rarely, Even then it's in foreign lands that dont use our method of purity marking. Also, there is no end of spurious fakes that are marked any old way, to fool the buyer.
You said you tested the stone and it failed, right Dave? It's also UNLIKELY that a fake diamond would be set in such a setting, regardless.

'Don't want to burst anybody's bubble here, but double check - thats all I'm saying.

 

[tabdog]

No bubble bursted.

And I hope you don't mind being corrected. But:

It's called a hallmark. It's the same with silver as with gold and other metals.

24k = 100% gold

23k = 95,8% gold

22k = 91.7% gold

So I guess the one I found is closer to 22k than 23k.

Here is a quote from the Rock and Mineral Dictionary

HALLMARK
A hallmark is an official mark (or a series of marks) made in metal that indicates the fineness of the metal and the manufacturer's mark. For example, a hallmark of 925 indicates 925 parts of gold per 1000 weight. Other hallmarks indicate the maker of the piece and sometimes the year of manufacture. In many countries (like Britain) it is illegal to hallmark metal incorrectly; some countries are notoriously lax in their enforcement of hallmark honesty.

Here's a link. Read it your self in more detail.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geology/rocks/pages/gold.shtml

Here is a 10k gold ring I found. It is marked 417. That indicates 417 parts of gold per 1000 weight.

The hallmark does not make gold fake. People do. Any gold markings are subject to be wrong.

But I can tell you that, that hallmark was not made after it left the factory. It would have knocked the
CZ right out of there.

If you look it is marked CZ.

People use high dollar gold with CZ's to replicate the real thing. Some pay big bucks for it.

They put the real diamonds in a safe place and ware the CZ.

You are right 925 gold is rare but not nonexistant.

Look at the design and workmanship of the ear ring. All the care they took to house that CZ.

It's soft and it takes more to hold it. That's not often found in fake jewelry.

Live and learn.

HH,

 

[kurt-ks]

Thanks Tabdog! I stand corrected,I really don't no much about jewelry other than my wife buys to much of it! Where in Ark. are you? I grew up in Ridgedale MO. I could throw a rock out my back door and hit Ark. I am an hillbilly at heart--Kurt

 

[ironpit]

Nice finds and thanks for the gold lesson.

 

[dahut]

Good info man. I'm glad I kicked you into high gear on that one!

 

[GaryL]

Gold Jewelry Markings:
Percentage Of Gold North American Marking European Numerical Marking British Marking
37.5% 9k or 9kt 375 9ct or 9kt
41.6% 10k or 10kt 416 or 417 10ct or 10kt
58.5% 14k or 14 kt 585 14ct or 14kt
75 % 18k or 18kt 750 18ct or 18kt
91.6 22k or 22kt 916 or 917 22ct or 22kt
99.9% 24k or 24kt 999 24ct or 24kt

In the United States, for example, gold hallmarks are not always required on finished works of jewelry. They are, however, deemed necessary when a jeweler or manufacturer wants to put a purity stamp on a piece. A karat stamp is the 10k, 14k, 18k or even 24k mark on some pieces of jewelry. If a ring, for example, has a 10k mark on it, United States law requires that piece also bear a gold trademark.


In the U.S., gold trademarks are typically attached to company or crafter trademarked names. This means buyers can actually trace the origins of their rings or bracelets directly to their makers through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In some cases, these gold trademarks, depending on the company in question and the mark itself, can help date a piece based on its estimated production time.
In America, gold hallmarks also can serve as a tell tale sign whether a piece of jewelry should be purchased or not. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, for example, recommends that buyers steer clear of piece of gold that have karat marks, but no identifiable trademarks included. This is a good rule of thumb for newer purchases, but not necessarily on antique pieces. Not all early crafters added their artisan signatures to their creations.
Looking at jewelry often requires the use of a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe. These marks can appear as symbols, words or even nothing more than the initials of the artisan who made the piece. They are often, especially in thin rings, very small and even a little hard to spot.
In other countries their meanings do tend to vary a bit. Some marks can help buyers figure out where a piece was initially crafted. The symbols for some countries are rather distinct.
England, for example, tend to carry regional symbols. London, for example, is lion's head. The mark for Czechoslovakia is an outline of the letter "P" in a box. The Austrian symbol is a "W" inside a crown that also looks like a rounded "W."
While gold hallmarks are not found on every piece of jewelry made now or in the past, they can help unlock some mysteries when they are found. These symbols often can help narrow down who made a particular piece and even during what time period. Looking for them, particularly on new buys, is smart to ensure the quality sold is what is genuinely received.
'Insider Information on Precious Metals used in the Jewelry Industry' Copyright 2007
Mail: Jewelry Precious Metals, P.O. Box 882, Bradford, Ontario, Canada, L3Z 2B3
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Gold markings can be made up of two pieces of information, the first part is the actual karat marking on the piece, this can be in the form of a number, symbol or combination of a number and the letter', i.e. 416,10k,10kt or 10ct all represent the same amount of gold content. Please see our table below of gold hallmarks covering North America and Europe.
The second piece of information is the jeweler's or manufacturers trademark.
What gold hallmarks mean and what they can say about a ring, bracelet or necklace is a lot more than many gold lovers might realize. The laws regulating gold hallmarks do tend to vary from country to country, but in some locations they can even help a buyer figure out exactly where a ring was crafted and even by whom.


http://www.jewelry-precious-metals.com/gold-hallmarks.html

Silver gold plated !! No .925 stamped GOLD!!

 

[tabdog]

Hi gary,

You said:

Silver gold plated !! No .925 stamped GOLD!!

I don't know what you are refering to but the ear ring is not plated.

You did a good job of croping and pasting.

Thanks for the conformation and the info.

HH,

 

[tabdog]

Hi kurt-ks,

I'm sure I know less than you about it.

I am fairly new at this.

The last gold ring I found was marked 417........

I had to look it up.

After reading several publications I decided that the markings

were intended as 10k gold.

I checked some more when I discovered the 925 mark on the ear ring.

For some reason some jerks have a big problem with that and is hasseling me over it.

Not all detectorist represent our hobby well.

HH,

 

[GaryL]

Your Welcome,

May only the best happen for you and family..

Great Hunting!!


GaryL ....

 

[GaryL]

Hay tabdog,

Get your self one of these and you will know!!

http://www.nationaljewelerssupplies.com/page/NJS/PROD/ETTES170

Just trying to help!!

Good Hunting!!

GaryL