12ct Gold Antique chain necklace. 24ct is pure Gold, 18ct Gold contains 75% Gold content, 15ct 62.5%, 12ct 50% and 9ct 37.5%. (18 is 75% of 24, 12 is 50% of 24 etc.)
15ct Gold, 12ct Gold and 9ct Gold were all Gold standards introduced in England in 1854. The 15ct Gold standard and the 12ct Gold standard were both terminated in the year 1932, supplanted by 18ct Gold and 9ct Gold. 15ct Gold items were still being crafted in England into the early 1900s, though the making of 12ct Gold items had virtually ceased long before.
The above 12ct Gold chain, handmade and fine, was created by a post-Georgian bench jeweller some 150 years ago. Each link consists of two 2mm x 1mm ovals soldered together, then linked one to the other through the entire 53cms length of the chain, dozens upon dozens upon dozens of such links, all handmade, hand-worked, handcrafted. Work such as this cannot be recreated anywhere in the world, not even in India where a tradition of very fine craftsmanship in 20ct Gold still exists.
At 12ct the chain has been priced at approx one-third more than an Italian imported machine-made 9ct Gold chain of the same weight.