All three are a layer of gold over another metal, not solid gold. Gold-filled has the thickest layer but is still only a small share of the weight; plated pieces have almost none, and vermeil is gold-plated sterling silver.
Solid gold vs a gold layer
Solid gold jewelry is a gold alloy all the way through. A 14K ring is 14K on the outside and in the middle.
Gold-filled, gold-plated and vermeil pieces are different. They have a core of another metal, usually brass, copper or silver, with a layer of gold on the outside. From the front they can look exactly like solid gold. The difference is how thick the gold layer is and what the core is made of.
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission’s Jewelry Guides (16 CFR Part 23) set out what each term should mean. The table below sums up those definitions.
| Term and common marks | What it is | Minimum gold layer |
|---|---|---|
| Gold-filled (GF, 1/20 14K GF) | Gold alloy bonded to a base metal | At least 10K, and at least 1/20 of the total metal weight |
| Rolled gold plate (RGP, 1/40 12K RGP) | Same method, thinner layer | At least 10K, a smaller fraction that must be stated, such as 1/40 |
| Gold-plated or gold electroplate (GP, GEP) | Very thin gold layer applied by electroplating | At least 10K, about 0.175 microns thick |
| Heavy gold electroplate (HGE) | A thicker electroplated layer | At least 10K, about 2.5 microns thick |
| Vermeil | Sterling silver plated with gold | At least 10K, about 2.5 microns thick |
A micron is one thousandth of a millimeter, so even “heavy” plating is extremely thin.
Gold-filled
Gold-filled has the most gold of the three. A piece stamped “1/20 14K GF” means that at least one twentieth of its weight is 14K gold. The other nineteen twentieths are base metal.
That sounds like a lot, but the numbers are small. A 20 gram gold-filled chain marked 1/20 14K holds about 1 gram of 14K gold, which is a little over half a gram of pure gold. Compare that with a solid 14K chain of the same weight, which holds about 11.7 grams of pure gold.
Gold-filled is durable and can last for decades without wearing through. That’s why old gold-filled watches, lockets and eyeglass frames still look like gold today.
Selling it: Many scrap buyers pay little or nothing for gold-filled jewelry, because there is so little gold to recover. A nice gold-filled piece may sell better as jewelry or a vintage item than as metal.
Rolled gold plate
Rolled gold plate is made the same way as gold-filled but with a thinner layer. The mark must include the fraction, such as “1/40 12K RGP”, so you can see how little gold there is. It has very little scrap value.
Gold-plated and gold electroplate
Electroplating puts a microscopically thin layer of gold on the surface. On most pieces it adds only a tiny amount of gold, far too little to recover. Marks include GP, GEP, HGE (heavy gold electroplate), and sometimes a karat, such as “18K GP”. That karat describes only the thin surface layer, not the piece.
Selling it: Plated jewelry is worth little or nothing as gold scrap. If it’s sterling silver underneath, it may be worth something for the silver. See below.
Vermeil
Vermeil (pronounced “ver-MAY”) is sterling silver with a gold layer at least 10K and about 2.5 microns thick. The value is almost all in the silver, not the gold. Vermeil is often stamped 925 for sterling, which makes it look like a silver piece that someone painted gold.
Selling it: Treat vermeil as sterling silver. Weigh it and use the silver calculator with 92.5% purity. The gold layer won’t add to most offers.
Why a karat mark can fool you
A stamp like “14K GF” or “18K HGE” contains a real karat number, which is why people mix it up with solid gold. Always read the whole mark. If you see GF, RGP, GP, GEP, HGE or the word “plated” anywhere, the piece is not solid gold. Look up any mark in the stamp decoder, or read what gold stamps mean.
How to check an unmarked piece
- Look for wear. Check edges, clasps and the backs of rings. A different color showing through means a gold layer over another metal.
- Try a magnet. Some base-metal cores are magnetic; gold is not. A piece that doesn’t stick still isn’t proven to be gold.
- Be careful with acid tests. A file or deep scratch is needed to test the core, which damages the piece. Light acid tests on the surface can be fooled by the gold layer.
For more, see how to test gold at home and how gold buyers test your gold.
These are general guides to US marking rules, not legal advice. Items made in other countries may follow different standards.