Featured Kordes & Lichtenfels - ...Union mark?? Gold-filled?

I found a K&L (Kordes & Lichtenfels of Germany) bracelet in an estate sale recently. It tests like gold-filled, i.e. the 10k acid just sits on the scratch on the stone, and the 14k eats through immediately. It's marked K&L with the word UNION in itty bitty allcaps. Is Union a German term for gold-filled I've never run across before? The company made real gold, real silver, and gold plate so gold-filled isn't a stretch. I don't have a photo unfortunately.

 

I don't think so. I have never heard of it, and it is not in my German gold marks book, which also has a chapter listing all the names for alloys and plating. Of which there are a lot in German.
K&L generally used the term Amerikaner Gold, or abbreviations of that, for gold filled.
I'll keep looking, maybe I'll find something.

 

Amerikaner Metall is one I've seen more than a few times. Metall by itself generally just means whatever metals got too close to the factory floor. It doesn't have a numeric hallmark, so odds are against a mid-century piece being precious metal.

 

Union-Doublé: Bessere Amerikanerqualität
http://www.beyars.com/de_tabellen-abkuerzungszeichen.html
???

 

Very useful, @alors. Those German/Central European terms can be confusing, and there are so many of them.

'Amerikaner' refers to a technique of heavy goldplating developed in the Austro-Hungarian empire, but used a lot in the US after the Civil War, when gold for jewellery was hard to come by. It was more durable than existing goldplating techniques, like the early 19th century English invention of rolled gold, and made a jewel look like real gold.
But it meant that any gold that came out of the US at the time was not solid gold but 'American gold', in German: Amerikaner Gold (Doublé, Union, Metall, etc. etc.).

Amerikaner Metall is not just any old metal, it is goldplated.
K&L used good quality, and I think their Amerikaner 'whatever' is close to, or maybe equal to goldfilled. They also made gold items.

 

does it really read K&L ? or could itty bitty also mean G K ?
https://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/Antike...664957?hash=item285dc1aa3d:g:lbkAAOSwnGJWT1E3

 

A mystery to us, but I think evelyb was referring to just the word union in itty bitty capitals. I'm sure she knows the K&L mark, she has handled a lot of fashion jewellery.

 

Thanks Fid.

It's K&L all right; I could read that without my loupe. It's shown up here before once in a while, generally in the estate of someone who either went to Germany as a tourist or someone who was stationed there in the military. High grade gold-filled sounds dead on. It's a pretty thing and in great shape.

 

I inherited a K& L necklace from my grandmother. It dates to about 1925 when she visited Germany with my grandfather and my mother. The necklace has a hallmark of “K&L”, with “AD” beneath. According to Andreas Daub, the company that purchased Kordes & Lichtenfels 4 years ago, “AD” means the jewelry is gold filled. The blue gemstone inset in the piece is, unfortunately, glass. Still, a pretty vintage costume Art Deco family necklace which I enjoy wearing.

 

Welcome to Antiquers, @Ohhhdear ~

 

Or Wilkommen, if you prefer.

 

I have pair earrings has Germany and one side K&L thats all ..so are they old then

 

A K&L mark does not indicate a specific period or age, we would have to see them to be able to tell the period.

 

Just having a look through my jewellery box and I came across this cross. It’s stamped K&L with g.g.p. Do you know the time frame or any history?

 

Pictures???

 

Anywhere between 1884 and 1984? If you could post a photo, we may be able to tell. As I said before: