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 an old gold chain that right under the hinge part where it connects. (I believe it’s an old pocket watch chain). It says 14/10. What does this mean?
I have some diamond gold earrings that are marked CU 14k…what does the cu mean and i also have a really old ring that is silver in color but feels to heavey to be silver and is marked 825 not 925…what does this mean
Hi i have a gold ring and it has BGC (I think) what does that mean
I have a gold rosary that only has one mark (750). Is that normal? because almost always i see that the gold pieces has the purity mark with maker mark’s and others.
Hi there, that means your rosary is made of 18k gold. 750 is another way to identify 18k
My ring has RBP7 stamped inside. It is a white metal with a blue (sapphire?) center stone
I have a braclet that has Italy stamped on both clasp. One clasp has it stamped on both sides and the other clasp has it stamped on one side and the other side has 14K1 stamped on it. What is 14K1? I’ve never seen that stamp.
Hello I just found a bracelet on the ground outside it says 14k and then beneath it has J_L I don’t know the middle letter I can only make out the JL clear I don’t know if it says like J+L or something do you know any stamps or companies that start with J and end in L
What does JAD14k mean on my nameplate. I paid for solid gold but it bends and i feel like they lied to me
Hi there, JAD is most likely a makers mark and the 14k indicates it’s made of 14k gold.
I have a bracelet appears to be silver stamped 925 star(*) 1880 I think then AR. Would you possibly know what this means?
What does ROMAN mean on jewelry and is it worth anything
What does hallmark 742 c means?
Hello, does anyone know what LXG stamped on my 14k gold necklace means?
I have ring with A.N 750 marked from the said ring. What does it mean? thanks.
What kind of ring is this??
I found a bracelet with a stamp that looks like 77 in a oval. I can’t find anything like it
I have a gold wedding ring from my great great grandmother that says S (or 5 I honestly can’t tell) 625 A all in block letters. I am trying so hard to find the origin but I have no idea where to start. I would be so so appreciative if you could help!
I have an antique ring with 928 ECI PTNET stamped inside it. I have been looking into all three of these but all I know for sure is the 928 is sterling silver. I THINK the PTNET maybe platinum. But have no idea what the ECI means.
Hi guys!
I have inherited my grandmother’s ring, but it has been cut through the band while we was in hospital.
I’m trying to trace its age/details if you’re able to help me?
The inside is stamped with TIFFANY 9ct but from the research I have been doing, this isn’t how tiffany and co would have stamped it, and from what I have found they did not use anything less than 10k gold… So I’m a bit stumped! I’m hoping to have it repaired and use it as my engagement ring but also want to do right by its heritage and not ruin the marking by having it repaired by the wrong person.
Any help with aging or history of this ring would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Hi Elise, We’re not positive what the Tiffany’s stamp means, could be a makers mark other than Tiffany and Co. We can definitely help repair your ring for you though! Looks like you will be in need of a shank repair. You can use this link to order this service, but please let me know if there’s anything else you think your ring might be in need of!
https://quickjewelryrepairs.com/repair/ring-shank-repair/
Hi! I have a ring that is white gold. It is 10k stamped in it, but it also has like a “D” inside of a square beside what appears to be “CN”. Do you know what these letters mean?
Hi. I saw someone selling gold ring in the marketplace that has stamped 750 which is 18k gold but beside it it has number 57 as well. What would that mean?
And at the bottom of it there’s this code CRD 083750. Can you pls explain to me what all this numbers mean? thank you very much.
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