Now, all three men face felony charges that carry a possible 20 years in prison and a half-million dollars in fines. The stamp is actually for consumer protection purposes so the buyer can be sure he is buying gold, not gold-plating or any other variation. While the raw material used to make the jewelry is the same, it's the workmanship and manufacturing techniques that determine the true value of a piece of gold jewelry. Let's take a ladies' gold bangle bracelet for example. Most all gold bangles are hollow but some have a thicker gold shell than others and while they might look identical the thinner gauge bangles are more likely to dent or bend.
Gold chains can also differ drastically in quality.
A quality manufacturer makes sure that each link is highly polished and properly fitted and soldered to make them as strong as they are beautiful. Some retail jewelry stores buy their gold chain jewelry from manufactures who are into quantity production at the lowest prices versus the more quality oriented producer. Bellman's has searched for, and found, a quality manufacturer that guarantees their chains will not kink. The best part is that Bellman's sells these chains for the same price that other stores sell the inferior versions. Since there is no way of knowing which manufacturer your retail jeweler buys their gold chains from, it's important that you become familiar with how to spot quality.