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.
There’s a lion stamp and 18k next to it on the inside of this ring I have
Hello. I have a wedding ring that has a few stamps on it.
First says 14k.
Second says SOL
Third says +1° (i think but not positive. I have bad eye sight and I don’t have a magnifier)
Total weight is 5.35 grams (not stamped. This is how much it weighed
If the markings on my ring, rings any bells please let me know.
I purchased my wedding ring through a friend of the family’s before checking to see if it is real or fake. It seemed like a too good of a deal to pass up. I’ve been getting mixed opinions and answers so i come to be today looking for facts from a professional if at all possible.
I would greatly appreciate a moment of your time to inform me of what it is that i got. Thank you for you time. I look forward to your response.
Hi . I have this gold diamond bracelet but am not sure of what these markings mean except the 18K. Maybe someone can help? thank you! There are 3 other markings as follow ( pic attached):
24 B. 1.51
72 PC 3.42
243 D. 4.57
I have a ring that is stamped 10K SVI and I am trying to find out what the SVI means. Does anyone know?
I have a ring that has AU750 stamped and also has D.1.06. CT, can u tell me what this means other then it’s 18 karat gold?
I have a bail that a local jeweler put on a pendant for me… It is stamped 14KM and have NEVER seen an M after the K on jewelry EVER and am wondering if it is in fact gold plated or other?
Thanks and Bless ALWAYS
What does the stamp K50 mean?
Or maybe it’s LL?
Bracelet that says .925 which I know is sterling silver but then it has 77 on it and what I would assume are cubic zirconium . What does the 77 mean
Hi! I have a vintage Italian necklace that is stamped 9.25 with another stamp that Is a very small square with what looks like a 2 with an extended tail that goes up with the right side of the box, any ideas?
What does c-sample mean stamped in a ring
I have a set of earrings with this symbol what is mean?
what does14k EV 20 mean?
I have a 10kt yellow gold engagement ring with 7 small diamonds, on the inside it’s stamped 10 k n also a G diamond symbol M wats does this mean
Hi I just got a necklace with a heart and a safety chain and on the heart it has a stamp 755 what does that mean
Anyone know what these markings mean? Looks like 4kc
I have a necklace pendent that has a stamp C inside a circle
I have a woman’s ring that is stamped 10 kt * EV25 inside…what does the ev25 mean?
If a ring that is silver in color has a NV stamp and also either a 5 or S stamp. Are these both stating the piece is Silver twice? Or does the 5/S marking mean something other then silver possibly?
I have a tennis braclet that has a round stamp on the front of it,what does it meen,thankyou.
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