antique jewellery

What is 15 carat Gold?
15 carat gold is gold of.625 purity, that is 625 parts of pure gold per 1000 parts. Pure gold is very expensive and also quite soft so it is mixed with other materials to give a harder and cheaper material that is more suitable and longer lasting than pure gold for use in jewellery. The other materials include copper, silver, iron, platinum and aluminium. The colour of the gold can be altered using different metals in the blend, for example rose gold is produced by having a high level of copper in the mix. 15 carat gold can theoretically be any colour that gold can be made in but normally you will find it as yellow or rose gold
How can i Identify 15 carat gold?
British antique jewellery which is made of 15 carat gold will be hallmarked with the number 15 and.625. If the piece of jewellery is quite light weight it may just be stamped 15ct. If there are the full hallmarks you would also expect to find a town mark, a date letter and the gold standard mark for the town which would help to give an exact date.
When was 15 carat gold used?
It was only a legal standard of gold in British jewellery between 1854 and 1931. During this time 12 carat (.5 or 500 parts per thousand) was also used. These two standards were replaced by 14 carat in 1932. Neither 12 or 15 carat gold were legal standards before 1854. This means tat any piece of antique gold jewellery from Britain with the 15 carat hallmark dates somewhere between 1854 and 1931 and you have a genuine piece of antique or vintage jewellery.