What is electroplated gold?

A. Hi, Joseph. It means that the ring is made of some less expensive material, but has a thin layer of gold on the surface.

A. It depends on how thick it is Justin. A good gold color can be seen with a thickness of under 10 millionths of an inch, which can wear off a ring very quickly, but would last longer on a pin or brooch. But greater thicknesses, which could last years, are very possible. Some old gold pocket watches had plating thick enough to last a century.

A. Hi, Lauren. Jewelry is jewelry and much of its value is in its appearance and workmanship. Some very nice, and reasonably expensive, jewelry is gold plated.

But, sorry, the intrinsic precious metal value is probably very little because the plating is probably only millionths of an inch thick. Once it is not considered attractive jewelry, it's pretty much worthless, in contrast to solid gold jewelry which has intrinsic metal value.

Regards,

A. Hi, Suzanne. It would just be called 18k gold, which means the element gold comprises 18 parts out of 24, and other metals comprise the other 6 parts out of 24.

18k gold is quite pure and very valuable; gold of any higher purity of gold isn't very common in jewelry largely because it is quite soft and might not hold detail well. Most solid gold jewelry is 14k, 12k, 10k, or 9k.

(Although electroplated gold usually has little intrinsic value because it is so thin, the karat of the plating is apparently sometimes specified because it can effect the tarnish resistance, color, or engineering properties).

Regards,

A. They are the same thing, Cindy: plated is just an abbreviation for electroplated. But again, the thickness can range from a few millionths of an inch to much much thicker. But in any case, the value of gold plated jewelry is in the artistry and visual appeal, not the intrinsic value of the metal.

Regards,

A. Hi, Brian.

If you can find a jeweler or plating shop who offers rose gold, your ring can certainly be plated with it, but it may be hard to find because it requires that they maintain a tank of rose gold plating solution (this is gold with a rather exacting amount of other metals like copper to give it the rose tint).

If the ring is actually worn, however, the plating will wear fairly fast because rings (as opposed to brooches, for example) are very high wear items. Further, unless you see samples, there is a good chance that the platers' idea of the color of rose gold may not match your idea.

Regards,

A. Hi, Debora. This is a technical site about metal finishing rather than an antiquing site, and to avoid being swamped in such questions and losing our focus, we don't offer evaluations. Sorry. But I think you can judge their value for yourself by looking for very similar items on Ebay.

Best of luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Angel. It's not worth anything for its gold value. But it might be worth maybe $25 dollars for its value as a watch or a collectible. Look for similar stuff on Ebay or Craigslist and go from there, or take it to a jeweler, antique store, or pawn shop. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Kassandra. It's either 14 kt (14/24ths gold) or it's electroplated with a thin layer of gold on top of something else (like brass).

If it's 14 kt, you can weigh it, multiply by 14/24 and by the current price of gold to determine it's intrinsic value. If it's only electroplated with gold, it has zero intrinsic metal value and is only worth it's decorative value as costume jewelry.

Regards,

A. Hi Shirley. Yes, EP would mean electroplated, but I doubt that anyone can tell you much else. The gold plating will be thin, so hand wash it. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Craig. You probably don't know the thickness of the gold, nor whether there is a titanium nitride underlayer, not whether there is a clearcoat on top of the gold. So all you have to go by is other customers' experience and the reputation of the maker. But this is a very highly regarded brand, so I suspect the gold plating is quite thick and will last years.

Regards,

A. Hi Scott. As I expect you realize, "heavy gold finish" is a salesperson's term, not an engineering term. It would not surprise me if the gold is very thin. If the ring is sterling silver under the gold it probably won't turn green; if it isn't, it probably will. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Raul. I hate being unkind or dismissive, but we've already said we don't attempt valuations here. But a picture gives no real data, like the gold plating thickness; and, despite posting hundreds of pictures of such items, not a single reader in the 18 years we've been online has ever offered a single comment on the value of another person's items -- it's just a waste of bandwidth. Apologies.

Please look on Ebay for similar items (I did, and sadly it looks like $7-$15), and take it to a local antique shop, and take it to one of the "We buy gold" shops on every other city street corner. Between those three strategies you'll have a very good idea. Best of luck with it!

Regards,

A. Hi Marci. When the gold plating wears off it must be plated again. After it's plated you could consider a UV cured clearcoat (same as clear nail polish that is cured in a UV tray).

Regards,

A. Hi Angie. Sorry, but not long. Rings are very very heavy wear items, and the plating is probably very thin.

Regards,

A. Hi Alexa. What is a "10m"? Christian Bernard made watches, rings, pendants, etc.

I suggest you look on ebay for similar items to what you have.

Regards,

A. Hi Garry. I'm not sure what you mean by "electroplated stamps". Do you mean some sort of commemorative issue of gold plated postage stamps by the Franklin Mint or something like that? If so, see Ebay where some sellers seem to be trying strategies like selling groups of 5 or 10 on given themes for $10; with that approach and patience you might make a few bucks. But as we speak one guy is offering 81 gold plated stamps in an album for $24.99 and has no bidders yet, so it's not a seller's market. If you can find a copy of the original ad that implied they might be worth a small fortune some day, it might help sell them :-)

Sorry, but the intrinsic value is probably nothing.

Regards,

A. At a $1333 gold market, you can figure about $0.05 per square inch of gold coated area. That is based on the average thickness of gold leaf being about 3.5 - 4.0 microinches.

A. Hi. It probably has no intrinsic value. But it would be a great thing to leave to your grandchildren.

Regards,

A. Hi Stan. You obviously have either 6 ounces of real 24 kt gold at a value of a little over $1300 per ounce today, or you have a prop, or a forgery. The markings prove little because, if they did, forgeries would simply use those markings. For a quick disqualification test you could do the Archimedes thing of putting it in water, seeing how much water it displaces, then weighing whether it's 19.3 times as heavy as the water it displaces. Few things are as heavy as gold -- lead is nowhere close.

Many jewelers and all of the "We buy gold" stores, which are on seemingly every other corner these days, can tell you which one you have in a flash. Hope for the best!

Regards,

It looks like what is stamped on it - 24K GE - 24K Gold Electroplate.

Thanks Chris. I had read on some other sites that this "GE" on these ingots stood for "gold electroplate", and you are probably right that it does.

But I think it is no longer legal to stamp something with a carat designation that applies to the plating rather than the bulk of the object because it could be deceptive -- especially when combined with the other markings like "6 ounces troy" (who weighs lead and non-precious metals in troy ounces?). Everyone in the world knows what 24kt means whereas virtually nobody would know that "GE" meant gold electroplate. For demonstration, Google "24 kt" and then try to google "GE" :-)

Intentions probably were pure, just to sell it as an amusing novelty.

Regards,

A. I have the identical gold bar from Southwest Mining Co. It's a paper weight. I acquired mine in the early 80s.

Thanks for the clarification, JE! Now that makes sense :-)

Regards,

A. Hi Charles. A magnet only sticks to ferromagnetic materials -- basically, iron and steel. If gold is electroplated onto iron or steel, a magnet would stick to it, but jewelry is almost never made of iron or steel because it is too rust-prone. Your cross is probably nickel-silver or brass. If it were gold it would probably have a karat mark, and if it were silver it would probably be labelled "EP Sterling".

While it may be vaguely possible to stumble upon unlabeled gold, it's also possible to stumble upon a discarded lottery ticket that is a big winner which the buyer didn't realize -- but neither is likely :-)

Gold is VERY heavy, 70% heavier than lead, and would immediately attract the attention of a lot of people; it doesn't just kick around from person to person unrecognized :-(

Luck and Regards,

A. Hi Connie. You may have heard that gold-colored titanium nitride is very hard and lasts a long time, but engagement rings eventually wear all the way through, which is to say that nothing lasts forever. Titanium nitride can't practically be added to rings on a onesy-twosy basis, but heavy gold plating can last a long time. Cheaper and easier would be a UV hardened clear coating, or an automotive two-component clear coat. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Bev. Probably practically none. Unless advertised otherwise, gold plating these days probably tends to be 10 - 20 millionths of an inch thick, maybe even less. "Micron gold", which is high quality costume jewelry, is 40 millionths of an inch thick. Office paper (20 lb.) is .004", which is 100X as thick as the micron gold.

Regards,

Well it certainly seems to be a gold colored watch band Richard. But I really think you'll make much faster progress by just taking it for testing to one of the "We Buy Gold" stores that are on every other street corner than by trying to figure it out by the markings on a watchband. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Vanessa. If it was actually 24kt gold it would be worth over $1000 per ounce, so you could weigh it and estimate its value. But considering that gold plated stamps are a commonplace, whereas I've personally never heard of solid 24kt gold stamps, the bad news is that I suspect it's worthless. See the discussion initiated above by Garry M.

Sorry.

Regards,

A. Hi Linda. Sorry, that phrase is so vague as to be completely meaningless. Sounds like it's there to induce you to buy without telling you anything.

Regards,

Q. Hi Ted,

It's electrolytically coated with 14k gold not plated and thicker than normal. Maybe the word should be gold filled?

A. Hi Linda. Electrolytically coated, but not plated, sounds like a contradiction although I suppose it's possible that it's some sort of paint with gold particles in it could be electrolytically applied while not counting as gold plating.

As a minimum, to call it "gold filled" you would need to say what fraction of the item's weight is 14K gold, like "1/20 14K gold filled". Certainly not "thicker than normal". It still sounds like you are asking someone to put a fine point on a vague description and I don't see how such a thing could be possible.

Please spend two or three paragraphs and explain your situation.

Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Shane. Unfortunately that description doesn't mean much. If it was solid 18 kt gold, 1/4 ounce would be worth something like $200. But "gold plated" could mean $2 worth of gold on it, but more likely $.05, and only recoverable at a cost 100X higher.

Regards,

A. Hi Kathy. You need to take it to an upscale jewelry store or watchmaker and find out. Piaget is a super-premium very expensive ($5K-$35K new) watch, but replicas and counterfeits abound.

Regards,

Hi. Karat means 24 x % by weight of pure gold. This is not 24 kt gold, in fact it's not karat gold at all. But it is gold plated sterling (or better) silver. You can't call it gold. I don't know what you mean by ".003 in gold". If you mean .003", that's pretty thick.

Regards,

A. Hi Gerda. Unfortunately there is no way of saying how long electroplated gold will last without more detail on the gold plating and the topcoat, if any. Gold plated pocket watches have lasted a century. Gold plated super-premium watches of today will last several decades. But sometimes gold is applied just barely thick enough for visibility and can wear out in a month or even less. Remember the brand name and the store you bought it from, as that is the only measure you have if you don't have detailed specs.

Regards,

A. Hi William. Best would probably to have a jeweler polish it. Second best would be to have it gold plated. Rhodium plating is a poor idea because the yellow color of the underlying gold will show through the white color of the rhodium plating in short order. Good luck.

Regards,

Digital version

(No longer published, but Elsevier hasn't yet de-commissioned the online version of the Guidebook)
Download it before it disappears.

A. Hi Anna. Gold plating may be used for functional purposes like the contacts of cell phones, or decorative purposes as on jewelry. Please review the "Gold Plating" chapter of the Metal Finishing Guidebook for a quick understanding of gold plating. The Guidebook also covers many other issues about plating in general =>

After that you can either search this site for 'gold plating' to read hundreds of Q&A's on the subject, or get a copy of a book about gold plating if you need to learn in more tutorial fashion. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Hi Jane. I can't find Fidello watches, but Raymond Weil has a line of "Fidelio" watches if that's what you have.

"Gold Electroplated" simply means that a very thin layer of gold has been applied to the outside of the watch by electroplating. This gold is probably so thin as to have no intrinsic recoverable value, but my understanding is that "Fidelio" is a good line of semi-luxury watches worth a couple of hundred to several hundreds dollars, maybe more.

Regards,