QuestionMy brother came back form the Nehterlands and gave a ring to me. It looks good but I think its a fake. There are markings on the band are as follows 18KT G E and an eye that has a V going through it.
AnswerFollow-up to Robert.
Robert, to send an image you will need to do one of three things:
Ask another question(when "maxed out" does not show next to my name), look for the tiny "attach image" link at the bottom after the question is typed in. This will get me the image through the question.
Another way is to ask another question, a new one and not a follow-up and check it PRIVATE. Private keeps it off the published answers. Include your email addys and I will respond to that. The allexperts machine keeps both your email and mine secret to protect both of us from unwanted mails.
If you want to try another follow-up to the original answer, check the "private" box and see if there is a place to attach an image. Sometimes there is, sometimes there is not and I cannot control that. Thanks for getting back.
Peace and Blessings. Thomas. June 3, 2008 9:12pm
And, the rating is very appreciated. That keeps me going, knowing something I have said is valuable to someone else out there in the internet world.
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Robert, thanks for the question. Unfortunately without the ring in hand I cannot give you a definitive answer. I will provide info which might help.
In the USA, many folks are tricked by this marking: HGE. Generally the mark is 18k HGE but the karat may vary. This is not a quality mark with the maker mark following which is required by legal regulation. Such an item should have an additional maker mark. Why? The HGE is part of the quality mark, meaning "heavy gold electroplate".
I suspect your ring is gold electroplate, meaning a base metal like brass with a thicker than normal gold overlay done by electroplate.
Do you see another mark in the ring which might be the maker mark? The eye and V may be that and likely is. That would leave the GE to be part of the quality mark. Does the GE appear to be more part of the 18k mark than part of the symbol? If so, I figure once more that the ring is electroplated.
The only way to know for certain is to have a jeweler test the metal. However, if the GE appears more of a part of the 18k stamp than the symbol, my bet is there is no need to test the item and it is plated.
These marks deceive purchasers and much more so if the seller is not forthright in telling what the markings mean.
I do hope this helps a little.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas. June 3, 2008 8:33pm
