GP and GEP (gold plated)
A thin coating of gold electroplated onto another metal.
Easily confused with
How to read it
The FTC’s jewelry guides allow gold plate, gold electroplate and their abbreviations (their own example is 12K G.E.P.) for an electroplated layer of gold of at least 10 karat, at least 0.175 microns thick, with the karat of the plating marked first. The Stamping Act names gold plate and gold electroplate among the plated goods its rules cover.
Also searched as: G.E.P., GEP, gold electroplate, gold plated, GP, HGE.
A stamp is a claim about the metal, made by whoever struck it. This page says what each mark means under the rules that define it; it doesn’t test or value anything.
Heavy gold electroplate
Where the electroplating is at least two and a half microns thick, the FTC’s guides allow heavy gold electroplate instead, the term behind the mark HGE.
Gold plated or gold filled?
Gold filled is a much heavier layer, applied mechanically.
More jewellery marks
Sources
- Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries (16 CFR Part 23), 16 CFR Part 23 (1 January 2021 edition), Federal Trade Commission, published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office, § 23.4(c)(3)
- Falsely Stamped Gold or Silver or Goods Manufactured Therefrom (15 U.S.C. chapter 8), 15 U.S.C. 291–300, the National Gold and Silver Stamping Act (2021 edition), U.S. Government Publishing Office, § 297
Last reviewed September 27, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research