Base Metal for Gold-filled Jewelry?

[billjustbill]

What us the usual base metal for gold-filled jewelry?

My question relates to scrap gold filled pieces being sent to refiners. If all you are going to get is about 5% gold, then if the base metal is silver, would it be better to send it in as silver?

Thanks,
Bill

[cyberdan]

then if the base metal is silver, would it be better to send it in as silver?

I do not think I have ever seen silver as the under-metal. It is probably copper based because often times I see green corrosion. But I have never seen copper showing thru where the gold is thin.

[EARL51]

Gold-filled jewelry is made by plating a core of base metal, such as brass, with a relatively thick layer of solid gold. The layer of solid gold plating on gold-filled jewelry is considerably thicker than that on gold-plated jewelry. Consequently, gold-filled jewelry is more resistant to discoloration and fading

Gold filled jewelry is made from karat gold which has been bonded to the surface of a supporting base metal through a process of fusing and rolling. It is always marked with the karat designation and an indication that it meets the legal standard. Look for marks such as 1/20 12K G.F. or 12 Kt. Gold Filled. Rolled gold plate is also made by fusing and rolling gold onto base metal, but the plating is significantly thinner. Rolled gold plate may be marked 12 Kt. R.G.P. or 1/40 12K R.G.P. Another mark you will sometimes encounter is G.E., or gold electroplate. This is the thinnest of all gold plating techniques. The gold or gold alloy is not fused and rolled onto the base metal beneath, but rather plated in solution using an electrical charge to make the bond. By law, gold electroplate must be at least 7/1,000,000-inch thick, but this is extremely thin when compared with gold filled.

[cyberdan]

Gold filled jewelry is made from karat gold which has been bonded..........By law, gold electroplate must be at least 7/1,000,000-inch thick, but this is extremely thin when compared with gold filled.

Well said.
I still buy it when ever I find it because it does add up (over time) and I try to pay costume jewelry prices for it.

It is also probably true that if the maker says 10K it is probably 9K. The real gold jewelry makers always under-karat their pieces so I am sure the GF crowd does too.

I did an experiment sometime last year. I sent in exactly 500 grams and my calculations (an anal spreadsheet I wrote just for GF) showed I would get just about $500 (or $1 per gram) If I remember correctly I got around $350. So the GF was under karat and some of the gold was worn off during use.