I have a quick question. It’s regarding a mark that I came across on a pair of gold flower earrings. They’re screw back and have the marks SJ EKA 22/20. I read that the 22/20 means 22kt skin purity and 20kt metal purity. Can anyone confirm this? I’m assuming when they said skin purity, they meant plating? So would this then be 22kt gold plated 20kt gold? I acid tested the surface and it did test for 22kt. Also, if anyone knows the makers stamp, I’d be quite grateful.
I may not have any idea what I’m talking about but the 14K gold fill metal I buy from Rio is 14/20. Is this possibly 22K gold fill?
Hi Rachel,
I’ve never seen this skin purity/metal purity description, but 22/20 means the piece is 20 percent 22 karat gold and 80 percent base metal. So like Pegi said, gold filled.
-Alec
Take them to a shop that has a gold testing kit. Have them test it. Or just take a file to the earrings in a place where it won’t show. Add a drop of karat testing acid to the spot. If it bubbles green then it’s gold filled.
That said they look hand made and probably form India or the middle east. Could be Asian too. So they very well could be 20k and 22k gold. 20kt for the posts and nuts. 22k is too soft for posts and nuts.
Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com
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Hello @kawaiidragon and @pegi, We do have an article on our site that may be useful. From it we note, _
The “14/20” or “12/20” notation refers to the industry shorthand describing the material. The first number is the karat purity of the gold used; the second number is the amount, by weight, of gold to the substrate material. “14/20” gold-filled material is made with 14-karat gold, and the gold represents 1/20th (or 5%) of the total weight of the material. You may occasionally see other notations, too; each will inform you about the material’s make-up.
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Here’s a link to the full article, with illustrations: https://www.riogrande.com/content/Protect-Your-Gold-Filled-Material-HT-jpg
Hope this helps!