GOLD FILLED

Gold-filled, or “rolled gold”, is created by bonding or “welding” a thin layer of gold to a base metal core. This is achieved by using heat and pressure. USA industry standards require there to be 1/20th by weight layer of 14 karat gold permanently bonded over a core of base metal.
When you come across the reference “14/20 Gold-Filled” this means that item is 1/20 14K gold or more simply put the 14 = karats and the 20 refers to the % of gold in an item. 1/20 = 5% gold.
The 1/20 fraction refers to the ratio of the 14 karat gold layer to the base metal (brass) layer by weight, which is 5%
The base metal is most likely to be brass. 14k Gold Fill (14K GF) has ± 100x more gold than a gold plated item. The gold layer found on 14K GF items is usually 50-100x thicker than what is found on a gold plated item. GF is hard wearing and if looked after like fine jewellery it should last a lifetime.