14K S whats it mean?
- Thread starter Maui Mike
- Start date
willie d
Silver Member
- Jul 13, 2005
- 4,007
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- **Tesoro Tiger Shark** Tesoro Silver Umax** Minelab Sov Gt w/WOT coil** Whites 6000Di Pro SL**
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I think it means 14 karat gold over silver, but I'm not 100% sure about it.
recoiljunky
Jr. Member
Yeah, I'm betting that the "S" is short for "Sterling."
Silver jewlry is often overlayed with gold to improve it's appearance.
Silver jewlry is often overlayed with gold to improve it's appearance.
MikeDahms
Jr. Member
I think it would be obvious that it isn't solid gold by the the weight of the ring. Experience of holding a lot of rings will tell you right away if it isn't solid gold. If you have a scale weight it and another ring about the same size and compare the weights. If you don't have a ring the same size, well you live in Hawaii and own a metal detector go find one. lol, shaka bra , Mike.
Spitfire Reddie
Bronze Member
The S probaly stands for the maker .If it was gold over silver ( Vermeil ) it would be stamped with 925 .I would say its real gold .Have it tested at a coin dealer or pawn shop.
DaChief
Bronze Member
- Sep 16, 2007
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I agree with Spitfire.
Anything plated over silver would be clearly marked with .925. I have done a great deal of research on the matter and cannot find any references to hallmarks of plated jewelry that read "14K S". I believe your "S" is a maker mark and your item is 14K.
There is some Swedish Silver jewelry marked with an S inside a hexagon symbol. This is less that sterling but must be at least .830 silver. This does not match your marking either since the hexagon in missing. There is also some British Silver Plate which is marked with a block S but like the Swedish Silver would simply be silver plated over a base metal and not plated gold.
These are the markings I have researched related to gold, gold plate or gold filled pieces.
14K HEP "Heavy Electro Plate" or "Hard Electro Plate"
14k G.P. Gold Plate
14KP actually is the real deal meaning "Karat Plumb" and not "Karat Plate". This is often mistaken for plated markings. The Plumb Gold standard introduced in 1978 reduced quality variance from approximately 20 parts per thousand, to 3-7 parts per thousand. Many makers put a “P” after their karat mark to indicate compliance with this higher standard.
14k G.F. "Gold Filled". This must be preceded by the karat of the gold of the outer layer. For example, an item which is gold filled and the layer is 14k gold may be marked “14k GF”. The law in the USA states that if the item is marked with the GF the layer of gold must be 1/20 by weight of the total item. In other words, if the item weighs 10 grams, the gold part must be 0.50 grams. This number may seem small but represents a fairly thick layer of 14k gold.
14k RGP "Rolled Gold Plate" Similar to gold filled, but with less gold present. The gold layer must be at least 1/40th of the total metal weight.
Y.G.F. "Yellow Gold Filled"
KARATCLAD "Karatclad is a trademark for a very thick gold electroplating process; this type of plating is about 14 times thicker than standard electroplating."
VERMEIL Pronounced VERMAY - "A product that is made from a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated on its surfaces with gold of at least 10K finess and at least 2.5 microns thick (100/1,000,000 inch). The term vermeil cannot be used if the sterling is covered with a base metal before being coated with gold unless the presence of the base metal is disclosed."
If your item is based metal with Silver, it will be clearly marked as such with Sterling or .925 unless it is a counterfiet piece made with the clear intent to defraud the buyer which I would doubt to be the case. The idea of using your detector for ID would also work. Your ring on my Infinium would indicate a clear Silver tone if it were plated gold over silver. I don't know what tones your machine gives if they are varied for gold or silver.
Put us on a photo and great going on your GOLD piece.
DaChief
Anything plated over silver would be clearly marked with .925. I have done a great deal of research on the matter and cannot find any references to hallmarks of plated jewelry that read "14K S". I believe your "S" is a maker mark and your item is 14K.
There is some Swedish Silver jewelry marked with an S inside a hexagon symbol. This is less that sterling but must be at least .830 silver. This does not match your marking either since the hexagon in missing. There is also some British Silver Plate which is marked with a block S but like the Swedish Silver would simply be silver plated over a base metal and not plated gold.
These are the markings I have researched related to gold, gold plate or gold filled pieces.
14K HEP "Heavy Electro Plate" or "Hard Electro Plate"
14k G.P. Gold Plate
14KP actually is the real deal meaning "Karat Plumb" and not "Karat Plate". This is often mistaken for plated markings. The Plumb Gold standard introduced in 1978 reduced quality variance from approximately 20 parts per thousand, to 3-7 parts per thousand. Many makers put a “P” after their karat mark to indicate compliance with this higher standard.
14k G.F. "Gold Filled". This must be preceded by the karat of the gold of the outer layer. For example, an item which is gold filled and the layer is 14k gold may be marked “14k GF”. The law in the USA states that if the item is marked with the GF the layer of gold must be 1/20 by weight of the total item. In other words, if the item weighs 10 grams, the gold part must be 0.50 grams. This number may seem small but represents a fairly thick layer of 14k gold.
14k RGP "Rolled Gold Plate" Similar to gold filled, but with less gold present. The gold layer must be at least 1/40th of the total metal weight.
Y.G.F. "Yellow Gold Filled"
KARATCLAD "Karatclad is a trademark for a very thick gold electroplating process; this type of plating is about 14 times thicker than standard electroplating."
VERMEIL Pronounced VERMAY - "A product that is made from a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated on its surfaces with gold of at least 10K finess and at least 2.5 microns thick (100/1,000,000 inch). The term vermeil cannot be used if the sterling is covered with a base metal before being coated with gold unless the presence of the base metal is disclosed."
If your item is based metal with Silver, it will be clearly marked as such with Sterling or .925 unless it is a counterfiet piece made with the clear intent to defraud the buyer which I would doubt to be the case. The idea of using your detector for ID would also work. Your ring on my Infinium would indicate a clear Silver tone if it were plated gold over silver. I don't know what tones your machine gives if they are varied for gold or silver.
Put us on a photo and great going on your GOLD piece.
DaChief
thoughts?MikeDahms
Jr. Member
My guess is it is gold. My suggestion for a quick and cheap way to determine if it it gold is weigh a ring about the same size. Or take a silver ring about the same size and weigh it and compare. Really after a few rings have passed thru your hands you will know by the way the ring feels in your hand. If the ring is gold and you compare it to a junk ring or a silver ring the weight will be much different. Only because you are in Hawaii do I talk to you this way. I was there on Oahu and the amount of rings you can find is unbelievable. Lastly there are cheap gold test solution kits available. Use a small file and cut thru the outer layer on the inside of the ring then apply the test solution. If the "cut" turns dark then it isn't gold. I think Kellyco sells a kit for very little, but it will not tell you kt of the gold. I used one for a while until I got the experience of having handled a lot of rings. You are welcome to pm me, best to you, Mike.
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