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.
I have a bracelet it has 3 stacked on each other then 66 and then 950 I would appreciate the help
I have a vintage pin/brooch that only has a letter C with a circle around it. Any ideas who the maker is?
What does A925 Thailand mean on a bracelet and earnings?
What does 100 va
I have a ring with 10KT no spacing stamped on it. Any ideas?
I have 585 gold necklace italy. And It has a stamped diamond symbol. What does the diamond stamped means?
Hello, I have a bracelet and it has MGL stamped what does that mean?
I have an old half eternity diamond gold ring. Looks like the stamp inside is ‘2H9’… Anyone have idea what it means please?
I have a gold ring stamped 10k5, and I don’t know what does it mean. Please help!
Please help, I cant figure this one out, it is a gold looking mens chain with a clasp on each side both reading T over 5. Like a long line on the side then right next to that it is a जا+ sideways just a T on top of a 5 hope the pic helps, please help me im so lost
I have an item that is stamped SA inside a heart, would anyone know the maker
I have a pink sapphire and diamond ring stamped on one side with 14k on one left inside and SLV on the right inside what does that mean?
Hi.. I have a ring with 3 stamps. Pm900 K18 and 0.45.. There is a gold design and 3 diamonds however the ring itslf i cannot determine since the stamp is Pm900 instead of Pt900 if really is a platinum..
I have a piece of a money clip that is stamped 7v-d2 mexico 950 or tv-02 mexico 950. Could u tell me what all this means?
I found a ring with an A stamped on the inner left side of the band and 925 stamped on the inner right side of the band. We know that the 925 represents that it’s sterling silver. What does the A stamped on the other side mean?
Hi.
I have a bracelet that is approximately 16 years old. It is 18 k gold and has the following markings on it. 402 VI. 750. OVP. Then followed by MARCHIO DE
I would like to know more about this bracelet as it was given to me by by mother. I know 750 is 18 K gold but what do all the other symbols mean? When checking similar bracelets it lead me to believe it may be a Sergio Segretti but I cannot find anything else on him or who he was anywhere.
Your assistance is appreciated
A T
I have a pendant of Jesus but it has an Italy stamp at back could you explain the meaning, please…
Hi there, that most likely means your piece was made in Italy and made of sterling silver or gold
Hi there,
I have a gold brooch with seed pearls, with a mark of “909” on the underside. What does this denote?
Thank you ☺️
Hi! I have a set of earrings with stamps PS and 90% on them. What do those mean? TIA
I have a Ruby and Diamond ring it has “14 K • P – “ would love to know if this means Plumb Gold
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