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.
What does a crown with a s inside of it mean with 14 k
I have a diamond ring 3STONES Shape is a diamond how i label
that shape ? also has 14k stamp not one but two 14k stamp on across from each other whats does it mean?
I have earrings sterling silver it has a letter t with Kmart coming off side of the letter t .I cant find what it is .must be makers mark but who ? Does anyone know
So I have a 10k gold right that says DBY before the 10k…. it also has 480 diamonds, give or take a few. What does this mean??
Hi i have 70s fine gold chain with a diamond stamp and letters NS pls help what is it
I have a gold band with what looks like 5 diamonds. The first two are the same size then they get smaller in size for the remaining three. The stamps are 14k then what looks like 7FT or 7FI then 19.
What do those mean? I know 14k is 14 k gold but what about the 7FT or 7FI, and 19?
What about 14KT G.E. Then diamond symbol. No H for electroplated, and fairly positive there are . Between the g and e- just wondering if the GE is a makers mark or is it marking saying not real gold like a plate or fill?
I have a ring with a $ symbol and the circled c. What does that mean
Hi there! I just bought a 10k white gold ring that I believe is vintage. It is stamped SLV and 10k. The seller also said the designer name was Jonathan something but she forgot the rest of the name. It’s an Emerald ballerina ring. I just hope someone might know the designer and what SLV means because it’s not silver but 10k white gold.😊
I have a yellow gold class ring that has E-10k. What does this mean
Hi I have a ring stamped 18krgp what does that mean?
What does a ladder looking symbol after the 14k mean ?
Hello ! Please let me know what is 750 after star 3130Al and WOR in the diamond tennis bracelet. Thanks
Have a ring 10k ABL stamped the diamonds are real I tested the the stones are yellow/orange was told it was cat eye but looks like citrine wanted to know what the ABL stands for?
Hello,
I have a ring with (I believe) granite stones. In the ring there are four stamps engraved of which I can read 2 with my bare eyes. One stamp says RJO and the other is a c. Do you happen to know what they mean? I tried to search on the internet but I couldn’t find any useful information
I have a 18 k gold chain Italy with a capital H with ‘wings’ or 3 lines coming off of the H. 3 on each side. What does this mean? Thx
I have a necklaces 18k gold plated 925 sterling silver and has other stamp that says RL. What does RL stand for?
I have a ring with 9.25 & a crown after the 9.25 what does that mean
I have a ring with 9.25 & a crown after the 9.25 what does that mean ?
What does this say. And do you know what it means? Thanks!
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