Anyone familiar with Chinese gold markings?

Paper

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I found out about specific gravity just by chance reading this thread and decided to revisit my first gold find.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=279413

The test is not particularly practical for small pieces as it registered nothing on a .1g scale and the .001g scale I used has a 50g max... I ended up taping my piece and submerging it in a big bottle cap filled with water. My initial weights were all 2.559 or 2.560 but the density weights were much more variable with readings from .132 to .142. The readings would also not hold steady. From a specific gravity table .132 is the reading I should have gotten for 24k but 22k is in range as well with .142. I believe this shows good evidence of 24k though right?

https://www.hooverandstrong.com/casting-grain-specifications

This leads me to the hallmark. I was able to use a microscope this time and was able to see it much better. I searched "Chinese gold hallmarks" and got an ebay link with what looks like the last two characters of the stamp with the top part cut off. 足金 meaning "pure gold" However, there is clearly a character in front of it.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Jewelry-Gemstones-Board-Group/Chinese-gold-hallmark/gpm-p/25188437

Searching the forum I only found one instance of the hallmark but the pics are now blurred. The character Stewart found is 手 which does not look anything like the "Z" shape I think I'm seeing. Google gives me results that are in Chinese and image searching is not very helpful either.

http://metaldetectingforum.com/showthread.php?t=136150&highlight=足金&page=3

Does anyone recognize the character?

gold.png
 
Nice research.

Just some guesses:
Possible the first character is a maker's name?
or the first character indicates percentage of pure gold.
Since you have done well on the Chinese characters, maybe you can find number or percentage characters.

Just reread your original thread and from location found and condition this is likely a older than the new Chinese junk on the market today.

Way back in time there was much trading with China and the East. The marks tend to support that this ring was not made for a Western market.
 
Nice research.

Just some guesses:
Possible the first character is a maker's name?
or the first character indicates percentage of pure gold.
Since you have done well on the Chinese characters, maybe you can find number or percentage characters.

Just reread your original thread and from location found and condition this is likely a older than the new Chinese junk on the market today.

Way back in time there was much trading with China and the East. The marks tend to support that this ring was not made for a Western market.

Thank you! All my pictures are gone on site but I still have them on my computer. Maybe I'll go through and edit them back in... I found it at an elementary school in 2014. My guess is that it was given to a kid for year of the Snake in 2013 because it was really shallow.

DSCN2240.jpg

RSCN2259.jpg

RSCN2269.jpg


This is a similar one I saw online, the text on the front of mine is the second character on it. LINK

Good to see your post Paper.

Maybe post this in the beach section, Steve May know. Good luck!

Thank you Groundsweeper! I've been following the pinned threads and I've always enjoyed reading your posts. I'll PM him.

Interesting post I found about "Chuk Kam" gold. Looks like up until fairly recently Chinese pure gold was only required to be 99.0% whereas American/European 24k is at least 99.9%. I'm not clear on the differences between Hong Kong and China though. I think my piece is post 2008 so most likely three nines.

https://gold-forum.kitco.com/showthread.php?119205-chuk-kam-24k-jewellery

https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr08-09/english/panels/edev/papers/edev1124cb1-213-4-e.pdf (last paragraph of last page)

Anyways, this is mostly just nostalgia value for me.
 
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