Questionit looks gold on top of exspandle band had a heart with design scrolled and on bracelet also
under the band it has a number looks like 1/20
it says platinum with stainless steel backing,only thing I know about it is my brother bought it LouisVille kentucky
AnswerHello, Betty. I hope this is a fine day or evening for you.
As for the bracelet, there is not really much I can tell you about it. My expertise is in designing, making and repairing jewelry. I am not and do not claim to be an expert in identification of old jewelry items. Often, when I try to give some advice on a question like yours, since I am not an expert on that I can say only little. Then I get a bad rating. Probably it is best not to even try on things which are not really in my field of knowledge. So, if you rate me on this, please be kind. : )
I have not seen in all my years of jewelry work a bracelet with platinum surface on a stainless steel back. You say it looks gold. I cannot say what the platinum part means unless this is a plated surface on the stainless steel on the bottom of the bracelet.
The gold part I suspect is gold filled. This means a layer of gold is on the metal underneath. Do you have a quarter, a 25 cent US coin? Look at the side of the coin. Unless this is a very old coin you will see at the edge a coppery colored center layer and white shiny layers on each side. The white metal layers are for the face and back of the coin. This is much like gold filled and shows you an example of what it means. Of course, the coin does not have a gold layer but a layer of inexpensive white colored metal instead.
Gold filled is a layer of karat gold, often 12kt but sometimes another karat. This layer is bonded to a layer of metal underneath. The surface is a fairly thick gold layer and will wear for a pretty long time. Gold filled will last much longer than gold plated.
This is the hint I have about the gold filled: You mentioned the gold color. You mentioned a 1/20 on the bracelet. And, this is an expandable bracelet and possibly of the sort with the "x" sort of links that open as the bracelet expands. (I am guessing on that one!) That sort of expansion bracelet was in use some years ago.
Gold filled is marked with a fraction of the metal that is gold. A common number is 1/20. This would be seen in a total mark like this:
1/20 12k GF. The 1/20 tells how much of the metal is the gold layer. The karat part tells the karat of the gold layer(and the karat may be different than my example). The GF tells in a legal way that the item is Gold Filled. You might want to look closely to see if there are other marks near the 1/20. If not, I am likely totally wrong in suspecting gold filled. Then again, Betty, you can see the bracelet and I cannot. I wish I could.
I hope this answer will solve some mystery. If more is needed, you will need to go to a jeweler and let them examine the bracelet. Even the experts who do know lots about old jewelry would likely have a tough time with this one. There is simply not much to go on. Not seeing the item makes it even more difficult. So, I gave it a shot and hope that shot helps you in some way.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas. September 2, 2008 7:36pm
