Published 2 June 2026
What rolled gold actually is
Rolled gold, sometimes called gold-filled in American catalogues, is a sandwich. A sheet of karat gold is heat-bonded under pressure to a sheet of brass or copper, then rolled out into thinner stock that the manufacturer uses for chains, watch cases, pen barrels and pocket-watch alberts. The bond is mechanical and metallurgical, so the gold layer does not flake off the way electroplating does. That is why Victorian and Edwardian rolled-gold chains still look golden a century later.
The gold layer is real karat gold, but it is thin. British rolled gold from the late 1800s onwards was often marked with a fraction such as "1/5 12ct" or "1/10 14ct". The denominator tells you the proportion of the total weight that is the gold layer. A 1/10 12ct chain is one tenth, by weight, of 12ct gold. The rest is base metal.
Solid gold in the UK system
Solid gold in Britain means a homogeneous gold alloy assayed and hallmarked to one of the legal standards. The four common marks you will see on jewellery are 375 (9ct), 585 (14ct), 750 (18ct) and 916 (22ct). Some bullion bars and a small slice of fine jewellery carry 999. Each number is parts per thousand of pure gold in the alloy. The rest is silver, copper, zinc, palladium or nickel, blended for hardness and colour.
Solid gold is gold the whole way down. You can file the back of a ring and you will still hit the same alloy. The hallmark is struck into that single body of metal, applied by one of the four UK assay offices after testing.
How to tell which one you own
- Find the mark. Check inside the bezel of a watch, on the bolt-ring of a chain, on the inside of a ring shank, or stamped on a pin back.
- Read the format. A bare 375, 585, 750, 916 or 999 with a sponsor and assay office mark is solid. "RG", "Rolled Gold", "Gold Filled", "GF", or a fraction like 1/10 12ct is rolled.
- Inspect the wear points. Use a 10x loupe on the highest-wear edges. Solid gold wears uniformly to the same colour. Rolled gold shows a different metal under the gold once the layer is worn through.
- Weigh it. Rolled-gold chains feel light for their bulk because the core is brass. A solid 9ct curb chain of the same dimensions will feel noticeably heavier in the hand.
- When the marks are gone, post it. XRF testing reads the surface and a couple of subsurface layers, which is enough to tell rolled gold from solid in seconds.
What rolled gold pays at scrap
Because the gold content is well under 5% of the total weight, rolled gold yields a small recovered amount per gram. Refiners process it, but the chemistry is harder than refining solid alloy. There is a real recovery cost and a real refining margin. The figure you get is honest, but it will look modest compared to a solid chain of the same length.
Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
When rolled gold is worth more as jewellery than as scrap
Late Victorian rolled-gold alberts, named locket chains, signed mourning jewellery and early 20th-century Elgin or Waltham pocket watches in rolled-gold cases can carry collector value that exceeds the scrap recovery. The same applies to signed Trifari, Monet, or French rolled-gold dress jewellery in clean condition with original boxes. If a piece has provenance, sell it as an object, not as metal.
You can still post it to GoldPaid for a valuation. A written XRF report tells you the gold yield. If the antique value beats the scrap figure, the report becomes part of the listing description when you sell at auction.
Sending rolled and solid pieces together by post
Mixing rolled and solid in the same parcel is normal. The XRF screens each piece individually and produces a line-item valuation. You receive one written report that separates the solid items from the rolled, with the recovered yield calculated honestly for each. If you decline, the parcel is returned to you free by tracked post.
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. Read the full method on the sell gold by post page.
A practical close
Rolled gold is not a knock-off. It is a manufacturing tradition with real metallurgy behind it. The honest position is to assay each piece, pay solid gold at solid rates and rolled gold at rolled rates, and put the report in writing. Anyone who quotes you a single rate for a mixed parcel without weighing or testing it is guessing. If you want the answer in writing before you commit, post a sample piece and read the valuation, then send the rest.
Common questions
Is rolled gold worthless?
No. It contains real karat gold. The yield per gram is small because the layer is thin, but a substantial parcel of rolled-gold chain still has a recoverable figure.
Can I sell rolled gold without a hallmark?
Yes. XRF identifies the gold content even when stamps are worn off. The written valuation lists what the test found.
Why does my "9ct" chain feel light?
If it is genuinely 9ct it will be heavy for its size. A light, hollow feel suggests rolled gold, hollow tube chain, or gold-plated brass. The XRF report will tell you which.
Is gold-filled the same as rolled gold?
Effectively yes for valuation purposes. Gold-filled is the American term. The bonded-layer manufacturing method is the same idea.
Do you pay anything for snapped or kinked rolled-gold chain?
Yes. Condition does not change the gold content. Tangled, knotted or broken rolled gold is paid on the recovered yield like any other parcel.
What does a "1/20 12ct" mark mean?
One twentieth of the total weight is 12ct gold bonded to the surface. The other nineteen twentieths are base metal.
Can rolled gold be tested at home with acid?
Acid touches the surface only, so rolled gold reads as karat gold. That is the limitation of acid testing. XRF is needed to confirm solid versus rolled.
Should I melt rolled gold myself?
No. Home melting will not separate the gold from the brass. You need refining chemistry. Send it for a yield-based valuation instead.