Proper case-marks are usually a good indication of gold-content, but gold-testing is advised if you want to be sure. If a watch case is solid-gold it will usually be hallmarked or stamped with a karat symbol or assay mark, like "WARRANTED U.S. Most solid-gold watch cases sold in the USA were 10K - 14K (41.6% and 58.3%, respectively). Gold coins are about 22K (91.6%), and the highest purity typically found in jewelry or watch cases is 18K (75%) which was fashionable in Europe. The purity of gold is expressed as a fraction of "pure" 24 karat gold, so if something is marked as 12-karat gold, that means it is 12/24ths or 50% gold. Gold must be mixed or "alloyed" with other metals to make it hard enough to be usable. Pure gold (100%) with no other metals added is called 24-karat, but pure gold would be much too soft to be useful as a metal for making watch cases. Solid-gold means the case is gold all the way through. It's important to understand the difference between "solid-gold" and "pure gold". So if you have a vintage watch that's housed in a solid-gold case, consider yourself lucky! But there were some beautiful, solid-gold cases made over the years and some of them have survived intact. These days, solid-gold cases have become even more scarce because so many of the large gold cases have been sold or melted-down for their gold-value (a practice we abhor and discourage, by the way). in fact, it is estimated that only about 5% of cases produced were solid gold. There were far more gold-filled cases made than solid-gold "karat cases". If your vintage pocket watch is in a gold-colored case, odds are pretty good that your case is gold-plated or gold-filled, or even just gold-colored metal. What metals were commonly used to make watch cases? Is every gold-colored case watch case made of gold? Are all silver-colored watch cases made of silver? Answers to these and many other questions about watch case materials can be found below. Pocketwatch 101 ℠ – Learn about Vintage and Antique Pocket Watches Materials Used to Make Vintage Watch Cases How to tell if your vintage watch case is gold or gold-plated?
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