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.
Hello
I have a ring that is 14k white gold. The center dimond is .76 carats and with the surrounding stones the total carrot weight is 1.34. Stamped inside is 14k (I know this is for the metal) and 46. What does the 46 stand for? I am very interested to find out what year it was made. I can provide pictures if needed.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Chelsea,
Since the 14k indicates the metal content, the 46 is probably a manufacturer/designer stamp.
Hello so I have a belt buckle that has a giant G in the middle of it as the design. There’s no stamp indicating what brand it is so I’m going to say that it’s most likely the brand “Guess” I kept looking for any other stamped markings on it but the only ones I see where In fine tiny letters I see
“O.B.I. made in Italy” I’ve Googled it many times but idk if maybe I’m not wording what im looking for the right way. But I was wondering if there was any way you could help me out with what it may mean thank you
Melanie
Hi Melanie,
Unfortunately no, we can’t identify manufacturers of items that are not jewelry. The stamps do not indicate any metal content information either.
Hello ☺️ I have a bracelet with two engravings inside that I don’t recognize, one is a rectangle with a star and 001 inside, the other one is right next to that and looks like it could be CL??? Thanks so much!!
Hi Megan,
None of those stamps indicate metal content. They’re probably designer stamps.
Hi!
What does “K18WG 030 4.05” mean stamped on the inside of a ring? Thanks!
~L
Possibly 18k white gold, 4.05 total carat weight (if the design has stones)
I have a gold bracelet stamped 950. Does this mean it IS all gold or is it platinum with a gold overlay. I gave it a quick testing with foundation and it left a black mark. Thanks for your help.
Hi Judy,
I doubt it would be gold-plated platinum…it might be 23k gold.
I have a 15-strand black onyx torsade with gold beads and a gold “shell-shaped” clasp. It is stamped 750, which I know is 18kt; however, it also has a mark to the right of the 750 that looks like a 3-prong fork. The necklace came from Black, Starr & Frost and was bought in the mid-1980’s. Any idea what the trident marking might be? Thanks!
Hi Jody,
It’s probably the manufacturer’s stamp given the fact that Black Starr and Frost has their own BS&F stamp.
I have an old “Pontiac” ring that belonged to my dad. I know it is at least 50 yrs old. It has a gold band and inside it appears to be marked 14K AK. I wouldn’t think this is “real” gold as it was given to him as a service award from his work back around early 1960’s I believe. But can you tell me what that marking means? Thank you!
Hi Christine,
14k indicates 58.3% gold content and is considered to be a standard solid gold alloy in the United States, so I’m pretty sure it does count as real! The AK is the manufacturer’s stamp.
I have a ring stamped 18k plat 950 fg. I found that the fg is frederick goldman. Is it 18k gold plated with 950 platinum?
It’s really quite uncommon to plate with very high quality precious metals such as 18k gold and platinum. I’m not sure what your ring looks like, but if it has 18k and platinum stamps, chances are it’s a two-tone design with solid sections of each metal instead of plating.
My mother bracelet has a diamond shape with a T in it. It said 18k and it had 12 stones. I’m trying to figure out who’s the maker. This piece is more then 20 years old.
Not sure about that stamp, sorry! You might be able to narrow it down by style or location of origin, such as where your mother may have bought it.
Cheaply purchased solitaire and baguette diamond engagement ring with a heavy 8 pronged setting for solitaire with a smooth vine wrapping around center looks to be old? With 925, • , , 2 in a square?
925 indicates that this is made from sterling silver. The 2 in a square is the manufacturer or designer’s mark.
Hi, i’m interested in buying a necklace from somebody but I wanted to check what “Brandon f 18k” meant? Thanks. Again the f is before the 18k mark and its spaced just as shown above.
18k indicates 75% gold content. The Brandon F is the manufacturer/designer’s stamp
my ring has the mark 14K 1sp what is the meaning?
Hi Olga,
14k indicates 58.3% gold content
I have a ring stamped what looks like c0039? Any ideas?
Hi Jo,
Sounds like it’s either a manufacturer’s stamp, or a stone stamp indicating the stone carat weight of the ring.
What does 3cm stamp mean on a Sterling silver diamond earing?
Hi Jeremy,
Sounds like it’s either a manufacturer’s stamp, or a stone stamp indicating the stone size.
Hello, I have a gold colored ring, it has a ruby looking gem. In the inside is a box with the letter A, a 5 point star, I’m not sure if the next one is a capital I or the number 1, and the last one is either O G C or a 0. Any information would be of help. Thank you
Hi Crystal,
It could be from Italy. The five point star is one of their hallmarks for precious metal.
I have a ring from Tacori, it has the “PLAT” but does not have any numbers after it. Does this mean it is solid platinum with no other metals mixed in?
Hi Rob,
Pure platinum is unlikely. The stamp for PLAT alone may indicate a platinum/cobalt alloy.
I have a silver ring with an amber stone, inside it sats FRONT 925 ?
Hi there,
Front is the manufacturer/company name, 925 indicates that it’s sterling silver.
Apologies….on looking through my loupe it says FROM 925 S .
Re aove , just that just mean that it was made “from” silver ?
What is the meaning of marked in my bangles 10K PL? Thanks
10K indicates 41.6% content. The PL either means it’s plated, or it could just be the manufacturer/designer stamp.
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