Is gold-filled jewelry worth anything?

How much gold is in gold-filled?

Under the Federal Trade Commission's jewelry rules, "gold filled" means a layer of at least 10K gold that makes up at least 1/20 of the piece's metal weight. That's why so many pieces are stamped "1/20 12K GF". The arithmetic is simple, and sobering:

• 1/20 12K gold-filled: 1/20 of the weight, at 50% gold, is about 2.5% gold by weight.
• 1/20 14K gold-filled: about 2.9% gold.
• Rolled gold plate (RGP) can be 1/40 of the weight, so about half as much.
• Gold-plated and electroplated (GP, GE, GEP, HGE) pieces carry a layer measured in microns: effectively no recoverable gold.

For example, 30 grams of 1/20 12K gold-filled jewelry holds about 0.75 grams of pure gold. With gold at $4,000 an ounce, that's roughly $96 of gold before refining, compared with about $2,200 for 30 grams of solid 14K.

Is it worth selling?

On its own, a small amount of gold-filled jewelry usually isn't worth the postage. In a larger lot it adds up: eyeglass frames, lockets, cufflinks, and chains often turn up by the handful in estates. We accept gold-filled and plated pieces as part of a larger lot of scrap gold, but they lower the purity of the whole melt, and you're paid on the gold that's actually there.

How to tell gold-filled from solid gold

Look for the stamp: GF, RGP, "1/20", or "1/10" means gold-filled, and GP, GE, GEP, or HGE means plated. Worn edges that show a different color underneath are another giveaway. How to read gold stamps covers every mark.

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We pay top dollar for gold, at published rates set before you sell.