Most karat-gold jewelry manufactured in the U.S. is marked ''14K,'' which means that the actual gold content is:

100 percent.

58.3 percent.

More than 75 percent, but less than 80 percent.

Hey, what's this? Your new friend just gave you a gold pendant engraved ''999,'' which is:

The sign of the devil.

A sign it came from a machine that also dispenses gumballs.

Equivalent to 24-karat gold.

Which of the following weighty terms is NOT used to determine the heft of gold items?

Troy ounce.

Pennyweight.

Featherweight.

Gram.

Hey, what's that ''P'' mean in the ''14KP'' marking in that gold necklace you're admiring at your local jewelry store?

It means the jeweler served on KP (Kitchen Police) duty while in the armed services, and patriotic Americans should favor his business.

Plated.

Plumb.

Gold in colors other than predictable ol' yellow have, of course, always been fashionable. What would you say gives green gold that sophisticated verdant cast?

The inclusion of such metal combos as silver, zinc and copper.

Condensation from foliage near where the ore is mined.

An artificial rust-enhancing process.

Now, a gold-plated item must, by definition, contain a topcoat of gold that is at least how thick?

Seven-millionths of an inch.

Seven-thousandths of an inch.

With some exceptions, because God forbid anything in life should be clear-cut and simple, gold-filled items contain considerably more of the precious metal than gold-plated ones do. Guidelines for gold-filled dictate that the gold content of an item makes up at least what fraction of the total weight of said item?

1/50 (2 percent).

1/20 (5 percent)

1/10 (10 percent).

Speaking of precious metals, there is none so coveted as platinum. Find the false statement about this white-hot metal:

It weighs more than gold.

Ten tons of ore must be mined to produce a single ounce of it.

Settings made of it don't secure stones quite as well as gold ones do.

Silver's super. It hasn't got the white-hot flash and gleam of platinum, but it's a serviceable everyday alternative. There are various levels of purity for silver, with sterling being the general standard for good-quality jewelry or other ornamental pieces. In order to legitimately be called sterling, an item must contain at least what percentage of pure silver?

98.6.

92.5.

99.9

So what's this vermeil (pronounced vur-MAY) stuff, anyway?

Sterling silver combined with brass to give it a golden look.

Sterling silver with a wash of platinum.

Sterling silver plated with karat gold.