What Does “Carat” Mean?

You have gold jewellery.  But how valuable is it?

That value depends heavily upon the purity of the gold, or its “carat.”

You will often see the terms “carat” or sometimes “karat” used to describe the purity of gold (“carat” is also used to measure the weight of gemstones). The word dates back to ancient times in the Middle East and Mediterranean when carob seeds were used to measure the weight of gold.

When pure, gold is the softest metal in the world. Since it is important that the metal be strong and keep its shape, pure gold is not ideal for making jewellery. That is why gold is often combined with copper, silver or zinc to make it stronger for use in jewellery.

Pure gold is 24K – nearly 100% gold. It is very rare for jewellery to use pure gold. In most cases, the gold in your jewellery is mixed with copper, silver or zinc – the alloy. The percentage of gold to its alloy is what determines its purity.

Hallmarks

The gold buying industry can be complex, so Cash4Gold encourages its customers to become educated about their options and to choose the one that best suits their needs when it comes time to sell broken or unwanted jewellery.

All packs that are sent to Cash4Gold undergo rigorous testing by trained office staff using state-of-the-art equipment. Cash4Gold testers have several methods available to them to determine the quality and amount of the precious metal contained in whatever pieces are sent.

Customers can get a good sense of what they have before sending it by post to Cash4Gold by examining the hallmarks. Since the 14th Century, hallmarks have appeared on all English jewelry made of gold, silver and platinum. The term hallmark describes engravings, or stamps, that are pressed into the jewelry. Hallmarks reveal the quality of the material, who the manufacturer is and which of four English assaying offices tested the piece to verify its purity.

The Manufacturer’s Mark, also known as the Maker’s Mark or the Sponsor’s Mark, the assay office emblem and the Standard (also known as Fineness or Purity) hallmarks are required. Most pieces also contain a symbol that represents a date, giving important information about the age of the piece.

Four assay offices in the U.K. verify the precious metal content in jewelry and stamp it with numbers that indicate its purity. Those numbers indicate the percentage of actual gold, silver or platinum in the piece per 1,000 parts. Please refer to the chart below for some examples of the most common carats and their corresponding numerical stamps.

Each of the four U.K. assaying offices has its own unique hallmark, which can also be viewed below. (Sheffield-Rose; London-Leopard; Birmingham-Anchor; Edinburgh-Castle).

Our experts at Cash4Gold are trained in the identification and interpretation of hallmarks. We are standing by to be of assistance, so contact us at 0800 064 1231 to request a Jewellery Return Pack, with postage and insurance pre-paid by us (up to £500).

How Cash4Gold Tests Gold

Determining the purity level of your gold is extremely important to Cash4Gold. Because of that, Cash4Gold uses two state-of-the art testing methods to verify gold purity: electronic tester and the commonly used acid/scratch test.

Want to get cash for your gold or jewellery?  Simply fill out the form to the right to request your FREE Jewellery Return Pack now!

Trade securely with The Trusted Industry Leader, Cash4Gold.