Understanding 14/20 on Jewelry: What Does It Mean?

Question
what does the 14/20 mean stamped on jewelry mean?

Answer
Hi, Michelle.  This is a good question.

The term 14/20 is a reference to a more complete quality hallmark which is given in the USA National Gold and Silver Stamping Act.  The actual mark is 1/20 14k GF.  The items are gold filled. Sellers of these items should see a need to clarify what the jewelry truly is and not leave it  confusing to the consumer.  

WHAT IS GOLD FILLED AND WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?
To you have USA quarter coin?  Look at the edge view of the coin. You already know the faces of the coin are a shiny white colored metal.  From the edge, you see a white layer then a coppery colored layer then another white layer.  This is a example of how gold filled jewelry is made. The thickness of each layer is not the same as with the 25 cent coin but the construction is very similar.

Gold filled means a layer of karat gold is bonded by a mechanical means or soldered to a center layer which is not karat gold. The gold layers are thick enough to make gold filled almost always more durable than gold plated items and the so-called gold "bonded" which are often a thicker than normal gold electroplate.  The markings tell how much of the jewelry is karat gold and what the karat might be. For example a 14/20 or more correctly 1/20 14k GF item has a layer of 14k gold on the surfaces. That gold layer is 1/20 or 5% of the weight of the total metal.  Obviously, a 1/20 12k GF would have a layer of 12k gold, a use of gold filled which used to be seen a lot with eyeglass frames.  Once in a while we will see 1/10 14k GF which is a very heavy sort of Gold Filled and not common.  More common as seen on, again, eyeglass frames, might be a 12k gold with a 1/30 designation.  That one would be lower karat gold and less of it.  Then again, eyeglass frames do not get exposed to wear like a ring or jewelry item.

The basic rule of gold filled is recognizing the fraction(if shown) or knowing what it means if not shown as in 14/20.  And, you need to know the karat of gold with the fraction to see which sort of gold filled it is and which is the higher quality.

I do hope this answers your question. If you have more on this subject or need a different explanation, feel free to use a follow-up to get back to me. Also, if you get a chance and want to, please rate the answer so I will know how I am doing out there. Fair enough?

God Bless and Peace.  Thomas.