Gold filled, goldfilled, or gold-filled, abbreviated G.F., is lower in gold content than 10 KT (usually 1/20 or 1/12 KT), but much higher in gold content than gold plated, gold washed or gold vermeil.  In this guide, we'll examine each of these in order to help clarify the differences between them.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that gold filled is the same as gold plated, or gold bonded.  Whereas gold plating, whether bonded or not, is a thin layer of gold on the surface of another metal, gold filled is actually a much thicker gold sheet rolled around a wire or plate made of another metal.  Gold is very soft - too soft to withstand regular wear - so metallurgists learned to add other metals to gold to make it stronger.  These metal alloys have included copper, silver, zinc, and nickel.  Nickel is usually the culprit in allergic skin reactions.  In addition to making the gold stronger, these materials can also be used to change the color of gold - copper creates yellow or red (rose) gold; nickel or rhodium, white gold; silver and zinc, green gold. In addition to adding strength and altering color, these alloys make gold less expensive. 

In gold filled a sheet of gold is mechanically applied to the surface of a stronger metal.  Victorian or older period pieces are likely unmarked, but later pieces are marked with the fineness of the gold layer and the weight of the gold.  For example, a piece marked "1/10 12K G.F." is composed of at least 1/10 12K gold based on the weight of the finished piece.  In the U.S., gold filled pieces must be at least 1/20 by weight to be classified as gold-filled. 

Price became an important factor for jewelry lovers during the Great Depression.  Disposable income largely disappeared, and although women still wanted to buy jewels, they couldn’t afford the precious metal jewelry that had been popular in the previous decade.  Beginning in the late 1930s, the style we now call Retro or Retro Modern replaced the Art Deco designs of the 1920s and early 1930s.  Retro jewelry was big, bold, and consisted mainly of metals.  Warm yellow and rose gold colors dominated the Retro styles, replacing the white metals of the Art Deco period.  The U.S. Department of Commerce played a role in the new popularity of gold filled jewelry by issuing Commercial Standard CS 47-34 which created a precise definition for “gold filled,” decreeing that the total weight of gold filled jewelry had to be 1/20 or more (5% or greater) 10K or higher karat gold. 

Restrictions were placed on the use of base metals during World War II, creating a dilemma for manufacturers of gold filled jewelry, who turned to sterling silver as an alternative.  It is not uncommon to see jewelry from this era marked 1/20 12K G.F. ON SILVER or STERLING + 1/20 12K GF. 

Gold filled over silver should not be confused with gold vermeil, which is sterling electroplated with gold.  While pretty, vermeil lacks the durability of gold filled as the gold quickly wears off. 

Gold plated means that a layer of gold has been applied to base metal, usually by electroplating.  This is usually a very thin layer, only a few microns, which is likely to wear much more quickly than gold filled.  Another mark you will sometimes see is G.E., or gold electroplate.  This is the thinnest of all gold plating techniques.  The gold or gold alloy is not fused and rolled onto the base metal beneath, but rather plated in solution using an electrical charge to make the bond.  By law, gold electroplate must be at least 7/1,000,000-inch thick, but this is extremely thin when compared with gold filled.  Rolled gold plate is also made by fusing and rolling gold onto base metal, but the plating is significantly thinner.  Rolled gold plate may be marked 12 Kt. R.G.P. or 1/40 12K R.G.P. 

Gold washed describes metals that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns thick).  This will wear away more quickly than gold filled or gold plate.  The gold is applied by either dipping or burnishing the metal, but it is not plated. 

Gold tone or goldtone simply means gold colored.  There is no measurable karat gold in goldtone jewelry. 

Gold filled jewelry has many advantages.  It is stronger than karat gold jewelry because the inner core of base metal adds structural strength.  It is extremely durable because the gold plating is so thick.  Unlike rolled gold or gold electroplate, it is rare to see gold filled jewelry which has lost its gold surface.  The luster of gold filled jewelry is generally excellent because the perfectly even thick karat gold sheet produces the rich appearance of fine jewelry.  More finely worked designs are possible with gold filled jewelry than with thinner plating or base metal because the thicker layer of gold creates a malleable surface.  Best of all, however, is the price difference between gold filled jewelry and karat gold.  Gold filled jewelry is heirloom quality jewelry that will last and maintain its appearance without loss of the gold surface.  For those who must consider a budget but don't want to compromise on quality, gold filled is the ideal solution.