Are you fascinated by antique jewelry and vintage jewelry or do you just want to buy a piece as a special gift or family heirloom? If so, you should know that the piece you are buying is an authentic antique and not a modern copy. There are many things to check and consider, such as the materials the piece is made from, the way the jewelry is made, and the shape of the latches and hinges. All of these factors are just guidelines, but with vintage British jewelry you can sometimes tell the exact date of a piece from its hallmarks.
The law of contrast is complex, varies from city to city, and has changed many times over the years since it was introduced in the Middle Ages. A set of tables is needed to calculate the exact age of a piece, but there are certain pieces of antique jewelry whose age is easy to calculate. One of them is British antique jewelry made of 15 karat gold.
What is 15 karat gold?
15 karat gold is .625 pure gold, that is 625 parts of pure gold for every 1000 parts. Pure gold is very expensive and also quite soft, so it is mixed with other materials to obtain a cheaper, harder material that is more suitable and durable than pure gold for use in jewelry. The other materials include copper, silver, iron, platinum, and aluminum. The color of gold can be altered by using different metals in the mix, for example rose gold is produced by having a high level of copper in the mix. Theoretically, 15 karat gold can be any color that gold can be made into, but you’ll typically find it as yellow or rose gold.
How can I identify 15 karat gold?
British antique jewelry that is made of 15 karat gold will be marked with the number 15 and .625. If the piece of jewelry is quite light, it may only have a 15-carat hallmark. If there are the complete seals, I would also expect to find a city mark, a date letter, and the gold standard mark for the city that would help give an accurate date.
When was 15 karat gold used?
It was only a legal gold standard in British jewelery between 1854 and 1931. 12 karat (0.5 or 500 parts per thousand) was also used during this time. These two standards were superseded by 14 karat in 1932. Neither 12 nor 15 karat gold was a legal standard before 1854. This means that any piece of antique gold jewelery from Great Britain stamped 15 karat dates back to some time. place between 1854 and 1931 and you have a genuine piece of antique or vintage jewelry.
