14 karat gold with a clarity grade of CK. In the jewelry industry, karat refers to the purity of gold. 14k gold is 58.3% gold, while 24k gold is 100% gold. CK is a clarity grade for diamonds. It means that the diamond has a few visible inclusions, but they are not large or obvious.
Most people know that the “k” stands for “karat,” a measure of purity. Something that is 100 percent gold is 24 “karat”; something that is 12 “karat” is 50 percent gold, the rest being impurities or harder metals like silver, bronze, or brass.
This is simply the symbol for 92.5 sterling silver (925) and the maker's mark (nc). The 14k KC means simply 14k gold (14k) and the makers mark (KC). There have been thousands of maker's marks, so if you need to know who the maker is, it will take some research to discover this.
Gold Purity Marks
Purity marks on gold jewelry will consist of a two-digit number followed by the letter “k,” or a three-digit number.
So far the only thing I found on this thing is that the C stands for Copyright. It was something that was established after the 1950's so jewelry designers could copyright their stuff and be recognized as artists.
In the US we typically use karat with a K when talking about gold purity and carat with a C when talking about the weight of gemstones. In other countries carat with a C is used for gold purity, and so 18C would mean the same thing as 18K in this context.
“Carat” as a spelling can refer to either gold purity or diamond weight, whereas “karat” can only refer to gold purity. The spelling “carat” predates the spelling of “karat”. “Karat” was introduced later to distinguishing gold purity from gemstone weight.
Gold-plated pieces may be marked 'GP,' 'GE,' or 'HGE. ' 'GP' or 'GE' means the piece is electroplated with a thin layer of gold; '18K GP' would indicate a piece plated with 18 karat gold.
Gold hallmarks measure purity
Likewise, a "585" or "14k" imprint indicates a gold content equal to 58.5% of the whole. Marks of HGE, GE, and GF indicate Heavy Gold Electroplate, Gold Electroplate, and Gold Filled, respectively; all indicative of a lesser intrinsic value.
Gold is element 79 and its symbol is Au.
A: KC Gold is a color, usually a yellow-gold that's lighter colored than actual gold metal, but I've also seen it look like a brass yellow mixed with some rose gold color. It doesn't mean that there's any gold metal in the plating or anodized outer layer.
Carat vs Karat: What's the difference? Carat and karat may sound the same, but they are entirely different from each other. Carat (ct) is the standard for the weight of a diamond or gemstone. Karat (kt) is the measure of gold purity.
Ch stands for "chapa" meaning plated in Spanish. 14k ch is never gold, always gold plated.
K is an abbreviation for Karat, which indicates the purity of gold (24 carats is pure gold). In other words, K24=100% purity so K18 means that 18/24 used 75% gold.
White gold was originally developed to imitate platinum (a naturally white metal). White gold is usually an alloy containing about 75% gold and about 25% nickel and zinc. If stamped 18 karat, it would be 75% pure gold.
Since the purity of American-made gold jewelry is measured in karats, there will be a stamp on these pieces with a number followed by the letter “K”. The number simply indicates, in parts per 24, how much of the metal is actually gold.
Look for a Letter Mark
If the item of jewelry has the letters GP, GF, or GEP stamped on it, these indicate that it is not made of real gold. GP means it is gold plated, GF means it is gold filled, and GEP means it is gold electroplate. That is, the jewelry is made of some other metal with a thin layer of gold on top.
Markings There are several markings that indicate the gold quality of a chain. K, KP, KT markings will often include a number, such as 14K which indicates the chain's gold content. 10K is the minimum gold content to be considered a real gold chain. Other markings may include numbers like 583 or 585.
Scratch test.
If you cut deep enough that you expose underlying metal, you can assume that it is plated. If it appears to be made of a uniform composition throughout, then it is probably solid gold.
10K, 14k, 18k, and 24k Stamps
These stamps denote the purity of gold. 10k symbolizes that a piece of gold consists of 41.6% pure gold, or 10 out of 24 parts. Jewelers most often combine gold with silver, zinc, copper, or nickel. 14k stamps show that a piece of jewelry consists of 14 out of 24 parts pure gold, or 58.3%.
The “K" in 10K and 14K gold refers to the karat of gold. The term "karat" (K) designates the amount of gold found in a piece of jewelry. Pure gold is 24K and signifies 99.9 percent purity, the highest you can buy. Pure gold is very soft. Jewelry is often made in 10K, 14K or 18K.
'c' is the most common spelling for /k/ at the beginning of words. Use the letter 'k' with the vowels i and e. Use the consonant digraph 'ck' only at the end of 1-syllable words when the /k/ sound IMMEDIATELY follows a vowel.
When we are talking about beginning sounds, we use C when the first vowel in the word is an A, O, or U. Check out the pictures below that help us remember the c or k rule! These short vowel sounds help us remember when the letter c is used. We use K when the first vowel in the word is an I or E.