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.
My ring has 14k and then has RL59. The ring is suppose to have a 1/2 carat diamond in it.
The 14k stamp indicates 58.3% gold content. The RL59 is a manufacturer/designer stamp, it doesn’t indicate anything about your stone.
I have a bracelet that is marked 14KON on the clasp, does this mean any thing?
14k indicates 58.3% gold content.
does the ON mean anything
What does the stamp/mark of a diamond symbol mean on a piece of jewelry
Manufacturer/designer stamp.
I have a gold necklace and one side is stamped 14k italy and on the other side F. What does that mean?
14k indicates 58.3% gold content. The other stamps are manufacturer/designer stamps.
Hi I have a vintage ring I bought at thrift store and it has what looks like a square with a tail on the inside can anyone help me identify this symbol and what it means
THANKS very much
Manufacturer/designer stamp.
I have a men’s ring stamped with what looks like a backwards 6 (could be a curl) over an M. Written like a fraction. It belonged to my FIL who has passed. I am sure it was bought in the 70’s. It has small diamonds in a square cluster. What does the stamp mean?
Manufacturer/designer stamp.
Have you seen it before?
I have a diamond earring that says 10k…..And a H what does the H stand for
Manufacturer/designer stamp.
I have a small gold ring with Roman numerals 4 2 and two small dots after that, one bigger then the other, any idea?
Manufacturer/designer stamp.
I have just come across a ring and have no idea what it might be, I do see the letter C and numbers 085 any ideas
Manufacturer/designer stamps.
I have a gold ring with ’18C RECPEND stamped inside. What does this mean, please?
Manufacturer/designer stamp.
Oval piece of silver with a raised cross on it on the back there is a V in a square and a x in a circle
Manufacturer/designer stamp.
Hi, I work as a jewellery tech at a pawnshop, and I have a few rings with two purity stamps on them (for example 10k-14k or 14k-18k) I tend to see this on older jewellery, sometimes two tone. Is it that the purity of gold is somewhere between that or that maybe one part of the ring is higher or lower karat? – what purity mark would be the true karat for the majority of the ring if I’m seeing two different stamps on one ring?
Hi Aiden,
Usually that’s only used on two-tone or plated jewelry. I haven’t seen this type of stamp being used to indicate a “range” of gold content for one alloy.
Thank you
I read thru all of the questions before asking. I was given a family tennis bracelet. It is marked 14k but also has 1.00 VA and separately PTM or PTH. I’ve looked for any clue as to what they mean but to no avail. Can you please help? Thanks
Hi Susan,
My guess for the 1.00 VA is that it’s a carat stamp, so it may indicate the total carat weight of all the stones combined in your bracelet. PTM/PTH is the designer/manufacturer’s stamp.
I have a small flower pendant and the only stamp on it is 004. Can you tell me what that would mean?
Hi there, the stamp doesn’t indicate anything about the metal. It’s probably a designer/manufacturer stamp.
What does it mean when a ring is stamped 5 A 925
925 indicates sterling silver
A friend has a ring that has 14 K which I understand but it also has either “star” or “stor” stamps on the inside. Very small so hard to read. What does that mean.
Manufacturer/designer stamp.
I have three pins marked, “gold top,” held together by two short chains. I’m not sure what this is. The three pins are about 1/2” long x 1/16” x 1/16” with the pin attached to that rod. Each has a pattern on the 1/16” x 1/2” face. It is wavy lines running from the ends to 1/3 of the way to the middle. Any clue what this is and what Gold Top means?
Hi Dave, the mark is a vintage mark that indicates partial gold content. The pins are most likely gold fill or rolled gold, which means that there’s a thicker layer of gold on top of a base metal as opposed to gold plating, which is a thin coating of gold over a base metal.
10K stamp, then 1K and a dot. Yellow gold. Ring has red stone and a couple of tiny clear accent stones.
The 10k stamp indicates 41.6% gold content, the other stamps are most likely manufacturer/designer stamps.
What does BBJ 14K mean on the inside of a ring?
14k indicates 58.3% gold content. As for BBJ, this is the manufacturer’s stamp for a jewelry wholesale company based in Thailand.
I have a ring that was givin to me by my ex , on the inside of the ring its got 10k with a diamond stamp beside the 10k .. Does anyone know what this means
Hi Amanda, 10k indicates 41.6% gold content, and the diamond stamp is the manufacturer/designer stamp.
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