WHAT’S KARAT PLUMB?

KP?

Often when you’re looking at Stamps or Markings Inside of Rings and other Jewelry, you’ll see the Letters “KP“, as in 14KP, or 18KP.

What does this KP Mean?

KP Means “Karat Plumb”.

Now we all know that “Karat” means the Purity of the Gold.

We also know that 10k, 14k, 18k are NOT Pure Gold (Pure Gold is 24k).

So these Common Gold Mixtures found on the Market Today are Blended with other Alloys to make the Gold Stronger (Since Pure Gold is Too Soft for Jewelry).

14k Gold (also written as .585) is made up of 58.5% Gold, 25% Silver, and 17% Copper.

So the K, or Karat, means that’s the Amount of Gold that’s Supposed to be in the Piece of Jewelry.

So What about the Plumb?

Plumb means “TRUE”.

It comes from the French Word “Plum” or “Plombe“, and can also mean “Completely“, “Weight“, or even “Exact“.

So now the Real Meaning of Plumb becomes clear…

It means that the Gold Stated is Correct. It’s at least the amount Stamped on the Item, or Greater (Never Less).

It’s TRUE Gold

(Not Rounded Up, or Close to… IT IS AT LEAST THAT OR MORE!)

For you see, many other Countries in the World Produce Different Blends of Gold and use Different Alloys and Mixtures. They may even Sell Gold that’s 7K, 8K, or even 9K Gold.

And even if they do Stamp an Item as 10K, that doesn’t always mean that the Gold is 41.7% (Or whatever Gold you’re Buying). Oh No!

It may be somewhere in the Ballpark, but not Exact.

In the U.S.A., if it’s under 10K Gold, then it Legally can’t be Sold as Gold.

Gold Guarantee

So to Ensure and Guarantee that the Item you’re Buying is GOLD (the Stamp that’s Shown), make sure you’re Buying Plumb Gold.

Look to see if it’s Stamped “KP”

14KP is at least 14 Parts Gold or More.

18KP is at least 18 Parts Gold or More.

It’s Important to Know for Sure!

And if you truly want to be Positive that an Item is “True” to the Mark, then Buy yourself an Acid Testing Kit, and within a Few Seconds you’ll be able to See if the Gold you Bought, is Indeed the Gold you Paid for.

And that’s Sounds Pretty PLUMB to me!

Cheers! :)