Many of us have seen the small numbers or letters engraved inside a ring band or near the clasp of a piece of jewelry that we own. But how many of us understand what information those stamps are actually giving us?
In this post, we’ll walk through the different stamps, what they mean, and what you need to know about stamping laws to ensure you’re getting the most accurate information about your jewelry. Let’s start with the basics:
- 10K, 14K, 18K, 24K, etc – if this is the ONLY stamp on the piece, it is telling you first and foremost that the piece is solid gold and secondly, the karat fineness of the gold. For example, let’s look at 14K. 14 out of 24 particles in the metal are pure gold. The others can be a mix of elements including palladium, copper, etc. These additional elements are what determine the specific color of the gold (we’ll talk about this in an upcoming post).
750 stamp on jewelry means 18k Gold - 417, 585, or 750 – this is just another way of telling us the gold content. However, instead of referring to how many parts out of 24 are pure gold, this number is now out of 1,000. So for 10K gold jewelry, 417 out of 1,000 parts are pure gold. For 14K gold jewelry, 585 parts out of 1,000 are pure gold. So when you see 750 that means 18K gold jewelry because the metal is made of 750 parts per 1,000 of pure gold.
- 900, 900PT, PT900, 950, 950PT, PT950 – all of these stamps designate that the piece is made of one of the two most common platinum alloys. 900, 900PT, or PT 900 all signify that the metal used is 900 parts per 1,000 pure platinum, while 950, 950PT, and PT950 denote 950 parts per 1,000 are pure platinum.
- 925 – a piece with this stamp is made of sterling silver. Legally, to be considered sterling silver a piece has to consist of 92.5% pure silver, with only 7.5% other elements mixed in.
- GP – pieces with this stamp have been plated with gold, but have another metal underneath. It almost always has the karat fineness of the plating listed, i.e. 18K GP.
- HGE – this is the abbreviation for high grade electroplate, which is another way of denoting that the jewelry you are looking at is not solid gold. These pieces also generally display the karat fineness of the gold.
- GF – this stands for gold-filled, which is a term that means a thin layer of gold was bonded to a base metal to make this piece.
So now that we have the basic stamp meanings down, let’s go through some of the most frequently asked questions that we hear from customers:
There’s another symbol next to the metal content stamp that isn’t on your list. What does that mean?
Most likely, the stamp you are seeing here is the manufacturer’s trademark or the trademark of the retailer selling the piece. This is legally required if the item is stamped and serves as a guarantee of sorts that the manufacturer/retailer vouches for the accuracy of the stamp on the metal.
My jewelry piece isn’t stamped at all. Does this mean it’s not made of precious metal?
Not necessarily. The legal guidelines on stamping don’t require all pieces made of precious metal to be stamped. However, they do require the manufacturer or retailer to disclose any precious metal content. This could be via discussion in the store upon purchase, on a tag attached to the piece, or on the receipt for the product itself.
The clasp/closure/earring backs on my piece are stamped, but the rest of the item is not. Does that mean the whole thing is made of precious metal?
Again, not necessarily. Sometimes the clasp of a piece is made of a different metal than the chain, so definitely confirm with the store clerk or jeweler that the entire item is made of the metal from the stamping. Likewise, earring backs may have been accidentally swapped and may not be made of the same metal as the rest of the earrings, especially the posts, so double checking is always best.
My piece has a name/date engraved on it. Is this the designer or year that the piece was made?
For well-known brands and designers, this can be the case, but it isn’t necessarily a correct assumption. For example, Tiffany & Co. has several Paloma Picasso designs that would be engraved as such and may include the date. However, it could also be that the piece is vintage or estate and was engraved with the previous owner’s name, anniversary, etc.
What other questions do you have about jewelry stamp meanings?
Community Discussion
Questions, experiences, and expert answers from the QJR community.
This is a picture of the set I just mentioned.
Hi, I have a set of antique pearl jewelry, a necklace and matching earrings from Bailey, Banks and Biddle. There is no metal marking anywhere that I can see. Which has me worried, but the pieces are over 100 years old. Does anyone know if the metal, even though it has a goldish hue, is more likely to be silver or gold? And did that company ever use cubic zirconia back then? I am trying to include pictures.
What does c*c on my ring
I have a ring a gold ring it’s two rows of diamonds it’s a half band eternity ring with c star c stamped inside what is it
What is the little diamond ring with a line through it?
What does the little diamond ring with a line through it mean?
Hi can anyone help I have a brooch stamped 1479 does anyone know what these numbers stand for kindest regards
Hello,
I have a ring stamped 10k which I figured is 10 k gold but it also has a stamp A160. Was hoping to find out what it means.
What does this diamond symbol on the clasp mean?
Hello. 14k HOF meaning? It’s stamped on my ring and its white gold. In other words, what does HOF mean?
Hi I have recently purchased a 9k bracelet
It has the Italy stamp the 375 stamp also a letter P with the picture of a star next to it any explanation
I have a gold bracelet stamped #6.5 14k/ss S932843
what does that mean–is not gold?
I have an engagement ring that has 10k on the inside of the band and next to it has the letters GDM. What does the GDM stand for?
This is likely the manufacturer’s hallmark, indicating who made the piece 🙂
What does d 14k mean on a silver ring
The “k” refers to karat purity of gold – perhaps the ring originally had gold plating, or is in fact white gold rather than silver?
I’ve got an H302 A barko tie pin on broach
I have a necklace that has OL 14K on the clasp. What does the OL mean exactly?
I have a 10kt🔸EV13 MW3•25
stamp on Men’s Gold Nugget ring.Anyone know what this means?
I have a necklace that has 14k on it and the symbol OE. What does the OE mean?
I feel a little silly asking, but I just want some others with experience to help me confirm what I believe the abbreviation ‘UP’ over 925 means. I know it’s 925 silver, but could the UP just mean this side up? It is on a pendant, and I suppose you could technically put a chain through on the opposite end, but I’ve never seen a directional stamp on a piece before. Can anyone confirm it’s that and not a manufacturers or origin mark?
I have a ring stamped 10 14k it has either white gold or silver eagle on top would that be what the stamp means I have never seen a stamp like it
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