Gold Filled is made by joining or bonding, under heat and
pressure, a layer or layers of a karat gold to a base metal. This
"sandwich" is then rolled or drawn to the required thickness. Gold Filled wire
is made by forming a cup or tube of gold with a core of base
metal. When drawn to size, the wire is gold around its entire diameter.
Gold Filled is usually designated first by a fraction (normally
1/10 or 1/20. This indicates that the amount of fine gold is that
fractional weight of the unit measured,
thus: 1/10 Gold Filled is 1/10th (10%) of the total weight of the measured unit and 1/20th
is 1/20th (5%) of the measured unit.
Gold Filled can also be designated as "single" or
"double" plate indicating that the layer of gold is on one side or two sides.
*
Example: 1/10 10K single plate Gold Filled = a layer of 10K gold equal to 1/10 of the
weight of the item is bonded to one
side of the item.
*
Example: 1/20 12K single plate Gold Filled = a layer of 12K gold weighing 1/20 of the
item's weight is bonded to one side
of the item.
* Example: 1/10
14K double plate Gold Filled = layers of 14K gold weighing 1/10 of the item's weight is
bonded to two
sides of the item. In this case, it provides a 1/20 by weight on each side of the item.
* Example: 1/20
14K double plate Gold Filled = layers of 14K gold weighing 1/20 of the item's total weight
is bonded to
one side of the item. This actually gives an item which has only 1/40, by weight, of gold
on each side.
Gold Filled cannot be cast. Casting involves melting which would
blend the karat gold layer into a new alloy with the base metal.
Gold Filled offers the look of gold along with its
inherant tarnish resistance but raw edges are to be avoided. Care must be
taken in polishing Gold Filled.
