What a kilo of it holds
The table prices a 100 gram lot of each grade at the current benchmark of $4,386.25 a troy ounce. A hundred grams is a shoebox of costume chain, which is the scale at which the question starts to be worth asking.
| Grade | Gold layer | Pure gold | Melt value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/20 12k gold filled | 5.00 g | 2.50 g | $352.55 |
| 1/20 14k gold filled | 5.00 g | 2.92 g | $411.31 |
| 1/10 12k gold filled | 10.00 g | 5.00 g | $705.11 |
| 1/10 14k gold filled | 10.00 g | 5.83 g | $822.62 |
| 1/40 12k rolled gold | 2.50 g | 1.25 g | $176.28 |
| gold plated | 0.000 g | 0.000 g | nil |
Plated returns nothing, and that is the correct answer rather than a limitation of the calculator. There is no stated minimum weight on an electroplate, the deposit is measured in microns, and what is there costs more to recover than it is worth.
Reading the mark
A gold-filled mark has two parts: the fraction of the weight that is the gold layer, and the karat of that layer. So 1/20 12k GF is one twentieth of the weight in 12 karat gold. Twelve karat is half gold, so the piece is 2.5% gold by weight. A 30 gram gold-filled chain therefore holds about three quarters of a gram of gold.
Rolled gold plate, marked RGP, uses the same idea with a thinner layer, commonly 1/40. Anything marked GP, HGE, GEP or simply "gold tone" is electroplated and has no stated content at all. The hallmark guide lists the marks side by side, including the ones designed to look like karat stamps.
Selling it
Gold-filled scrap trades by the pound to refiners who handle low-grade material, and the price is a fraction of the computed content because recovery from a bonded layer is harder than from solid karat gold. Do not mix it into a karat gold lot: a buyer who spots one GF clasp has a reason to discount the entire bag, and a fair one will simply hand it back.
Vintage gold-filled is often worth more as jewellery than as metal. Edwardian and Art Deco gold-filled watch chains, lockets and pocket watch cases sell steadily at prices no refiner would match, because the layer is thick enough to have survived a century of wear and the design is the point.
Gold filled questions
What does 1/20 12k GF mean?
It is a construction, not a purity. One twentieth of the total weight is a bonded layer of 12 karat gold, and the rest is brass or another base metal. So 5% of the weight is 12k, which is itself half gold: 2.5% of the piece is actually gold.
Is gold-filled jewellery worth anything?
A little, and only in quantity. A single gold-filled chain holds a fraction of a gram of gold. A few kilos of scrap gold-filled is a real lot that a refiner will take, which is why it is bought and sold by the pound rather than by the piece.
What is the difference between gold-filled and gold-plated?
Thickness, by orders of magnitude. Gold-filled is a mechanically bonded sheet at a legally stated fraction of the weight. Plating is a microns-thick electro-deposit with no minimum weight, and it is worth effectively nothing at melt.
Will a pawn shop buy gold-filled?
Usually not. The gold content is too small to justify testing and the resale is costume. Refiners who specialise in low-grade material will, but they buy by the pound and pay a fraction of the computed content.
What do the marks GF, RGP, HGE and GP mean?
GF is gold filled, and carries a stated fraction such as 1/20. RGP is rolled gold plate, a thinner bonded layer. HGE is heavy gold electroplate and GP is gold plate, both electro-deposited and both worth nothing at melt. The presence of a karat number does not make a piece karat gold.
Can I recover the gold from gold-filled at home?
Do not try. The chemistry involves strong acids and produces toxic fumes, and the yield on a domestic quantity is worth a few dollars. Sell it as a lot to somebody set up for it.