Guide
Is it gold-plated?
Gold-plated jewelry has only a microscopic layer of gold over another metal. It looks like solid gold when new, but its stamps, wear, and weight give it away.
Updated October 28, 2026
Read the stamp
- Solid gold: a karat stamp alone: 10K, 14K, 18K, or 417, 585, 750. See how to read gold stamps.
- Plated: GP (gold-plated), GE or GEP (gold electroplate), HGE or HGP (heavy gold electroplate), or a karat followed by one of those letters, like 18K HGE. The karat describes only the thin plating.
- Gold-filled and rolled gold: GF, RGP, or a fraction such as 1/20 12K. Thicker than plating but still mostly base metal; see what gold-filled is worth.
- Vermeil: sterling silver with gold plating, often stamped 925. It's paid on its silver.
Signs of plating
- Wear: plating rubs off on edges, clasps, and the inside of rings, showing silver-gray or coppery metal underneath. Solid gold is the same color all the way through.
- Skin: a piece that turns your skin green or black usually has copper or other base metal near the surface.
- Magnet: plated steel jumps to a strong magnet. Solid gold doesn't, though plated brass doesn't either.
- No stamp: many cheap plated pieces have no stamp at all. Unstamped pieces can still be gold, so don't throw anything out; let us test it.
What plated jewelry is worth
The gold on a plated piece is too thin to recover economically, so plated jewelry has no scrap gold value. Mixed into a lot of real gold, it lowers the purity of the whole melt, so set it aside before you ship. If you're not sure, send photos first.
Identify your metal: Is my gold real? · Is it gold-plated? · Gold stamps · Is my silver real? · Sterling marks · Is my gold coin real? · Platinum or white gold?
We pay top dollar for gold, at published rates set before you sell.
Your gold
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