Composition and character
Fourteen parts gold in twenty-four, with copper, silver, zinc and sometimes nickel or palladium making up the balance. The colour is fuller than 9ct without the softness of 18ct, and the alloy takes a good polish and holds fine detail.
Why it is less common in Britain
14ct has been a legal British standard only since 1932, when it replaced the older 12ct and 15ct standards, and it never displaced 9ct and 18ct in British workshops. Most 585 items in the UK arrived from abroad — bought on holiday, imported by retailers, or inherited from family overseas.
Recognising it
Look for 585, 14K or 14ct. American pieces often use "14K" beside a maker's trademark, which is a manufacturer's claim rather than an independent guarantee — UK gold hallmarks explained sets out the difference.
What does 585 mean on gold?
585 is the fineness mark for 14 carat gold: 585 parts gold per 1,000, or 58.5% pure gold. The mark is common on jewellery made in the United States, Germany and much of eastern Europe, and turns up in Britain mainly on imported or inherited pieces.
Why 585 rather than 583
14 carat is 14 parts gold in 24, which works out at 58.33%. Hallmarking standards round to the guaranteed minimum the assay office will certify, so the mark reads 585 and manufacturers alloy slightly above the arithmetic figure to be sure of meeting it.
585 marks and UK hallmarks
A 585 item may carry a full UK hallmark if it was imported through an assay office, or only a stamped number if it was not. Continental and American pieces frequently show the figure alone, sometimes with a trademark beside it. Neither case changes what the metal is; a stamp alone is the maker's claim rather than an independent guarantee. British-made pieces are far more likely to be 9ct or 18ct.
How 585 compares
| Standard | Fineness | Fine gold in 10g |
|---|---|---|
| 9 carat | 375 | 3.75 g |
| 14 carat | 585 | 5.85 g |
| 18 carat | 750 | 7.50 g |
| 22 carat | 916 | 9.16 g |
A 14ct piece therefore holds around 56% more fine gold than a 9ct piece of identical weight, which is the single biggest factor in what it is worth as metal.
Practical points when selling 585 gold
- Foreign stamps are not UK hallmarks: they are the maker's claim rather than an independent guarantee.
- 14ct is hard-wearing and holds colour well, so 585 items often survive in good condition and may be worth more intact.
- Mixed lots are normal. Items of different standards are weighed and valued separately, never averaged together.
Value
Each gram of a 14ct item contains 0.585 grams of fine gold — around 56% more than the same weight in 9ct. Because 14ct is durable, complete pieces frequently survive in wearable condition, so it is worth asking whether an item is better sold intact than as scrap.
