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 siver ring that has the stap 1014kf stamp what that that mean
I have diamond earrings I inherited marked 14k and also what looks like TH 8CC ..It’s hard to read. Can u tell me what the stamp represents?
I have diamond earrings that I inherited. They are stamped 14k but there is another stamp that looks like TH 8CC (hard to read) can you tell me what this stamp represents?
what is 750 Q1 means?
I have a medallion it says 10kc I bought it from a mall jeweler he said it was real 10k solid gold but I’ve heard from others that it’s 10k coated meaning plated I hope not can u please tell me if 10kc means real 10k or played thanks
This the medallion it’s says 10kc is this real 10k gold or is this gold coated or plated gold I bought it from a mall jeweler he claimed it was real 10k solid gold
I was given this ring. Does this happen to mean anything toward the ring or do you think it is a personal inscription? I was told the ring was older. There is a 14k stamp on the other side. Thank you!!
Is 18k mark debossed different from 18k embossed into a geometrical shape please?
Like it’s gold plated or fake please?
I have a Virgin Mary pendant that has but what looks like C1 or G1 14k on it is it the Maker’s Mark or carat for the rubies
I have a pendent that says Italy “NTN” 14k I believe.. I’m not positive it says NTN as the last letter is hard to make out but that’s my best guess. Can anyone tell me what it means or what it might be if not an N?
What does it mean? 215
What does 215 mean?
I have a 10 K gold ring marked YA 10 k. Has 2 other symbols I cannot make out. From Germany with topaz stone what is YA?
I have a blue sapphire & Diamond cluster ring with the markings 14k RT. It has a blue sapphire raised in the center with approximately 24 rectangular diamonds in the first circular row and another 24 round diamonds around the second tier. Love to know more about it if anyone can advise?
I have a pair of 10k C♡ gold female earrings and idk wat the emerald is but I know its real im trying to find out what the C♡ really stands for and wat they are worth cause the pawn shops have been ripping me off. So can someone please help me and tell me more about these idems im trying to figure out how to upload a picture
What do the letters rtln 925 on a ring mean
Hi Melissa, those letters are makers marks!
I have a 14k gold filigree & diamond accent ring that has been tested as 14k but not marked. However it does have a marking of EW710 and a diamond symbol stamped along side of the 710. Can someone help me with what these markings are?
I have come across a couple pairs of earrings where the stem has 14 k stamped on the stem of the earring, does that mean the earrings metal/base is also 14 K to??
Yes, 14k does indicate the type of gold a piece is made from!
I have a bracelet that says 925 looks gold on back. Also has RT on the clamp next to 925. it has 18 small diamonds. I won at a Auction. They said it was worth $1-2k but i want to figure out the maker. it looks like a mens bracelet. does anyone know the maker? i want to sell it.
P I have a ring that stamped 10K and also stamped a k h what does that mean
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