Is Your 14K Jewelry Authentic? Identifying Genuine Gold

Question
Hello - I recently purchased some older, rather dinged up pendants off ebay which were marked 14k (no other hallmarks or makers mark, simply "14k"). Because these items didn't have a reserve price and/or were categorized strangely I received them for quite low prices (no one bid against me) and because I'd found these things for such a good price it made me wonder if in fact something marked 14k was really 14k.  After some web research it seemed as though something marked in such a manner was highly unlikely to be a fake, particularly if it was in such vintage condition.  I also asked an acquaintance of mine who works in the jewelry field if a gold hallmark is taken at face value and he said that the jeweler he works for takes the mark for what it says it is. As I mentioned, the pendants were quite worn and so it seemed to me that if they were in fact plated, the condition they were in would have allowed the base metal to be seen.

I took some of the pieces to my jeweler to sell, but found that some of these were not gold (they were acid-tested).  My question is, how often is hallmarked "gold" really something counterfeit?  

Thanks for your answer.

Answer
Thanks Ann that's a great question. The cold hard fact is that anyone with a stamp and a small mallet can put a mark on a metal object. There is no assurance whatosever that a stamped object is gold.  As you might know, much of the plated costume jewelry is marked as if it was gold.  I only rely on an acid test- I never trust the stamp.

As far as how much of this material is out there- TONS! Be very careful of this.  Have you already left negative feedback for the seller? Or have you contacted them about the transaction? Now you can leave a negative with no fear of retaliation by the seller- they can't leave you a negative.

Thanks for a great question- and be careful!

David Fortier, GG
Staff Gemologist
tiptopgem.com