Do you know the value of your Gold ?
Before you sell scrap gold you at first need to realise the gold content of your gold as not everyone has a magnifying eyeglass or indeed not all gold is hallmarked at all! So not as obvious a question as at first may well seem!
The purest of gold, 24 carat also recognised as fine gold .999% is rarely used for making jewellery for example as it would erode easily, maybe the odd commemorative coin to be locked safely securely in a box or cupboard but as a rule it is far too soft to be used as a gold coin or example to be in circulation or even handled during every day use! In fact coins would wear; jewellery would easily twist out of shape whilst just putting it on for instance!
Prior to the manufacture of jewellery for example, other metals such as alloys are added when the gold smelt is under way allowing for an item to be resistant during every day usage. The following result is an item, part gold and part metal. We still tend to term the metal ‘gold’ though it is no longer technically in a sense pure gold. We do, however, qualify the word ‘gold’ by stating the purity or the ‘standard’ to which the gold has been refined, also referred to as ‘the standard of fineness’ or simply ‘the standard’ in fact all these terms mean ‘purity’.
Purity is calculated in 2 ways. The Carat and amount per thousand (%) of gold content within a piece.
The following examples are that 9 carat gold is 375 parts gold and 625 alloy metal which is equal to 37.5% (hence the 375 stamp hallmark) of pure gold, 18 carat gold for instance is 750 parts gold and 25 parts metal which equals 75% (again which often has an 750 stamp) Gold. Simples!
Many diverse gold purity standards are used around the world, in the UK we use five main categories: 9ct (375); 14ct (585); 15ct (625); 18ct (750) and 22ct (916), plus 950 and 999 though these are not marked in carat since they don’t convert to exact numbers for instance 22.8ct and 23.98ct
For the record silver purity is measured in parts per thousand only. In the UK we adhere to 800 silver, the most common 925 (Sterling Silver), 958 Silver and 999 pure’ silver.
So there you have it, in case you were wondering about exactly how much actual gold is held within your jewellery and maybe what the corresponding marks mean you now have no excuses! However should you still be unsure then do feel free to contact Best Price for Gold and we will be more than willing to help you out, no problem at all!
