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.
Hi everyone,
I have a Gold tone flat curb chain bracelet (appears to be men’s) and the only marking is the letter “S” under a half circle with a dot at about 1 o’clock. Does this mean anything? The marking is on both ends of the clasp. Any help would be great! Cheers
What is bares. Thialand
I have a band that says 10KL,what does L stand for?
Hi I’ve got a white gold diamond ring but the only make it has is 5 and all so l dose any body no what this means
What does go.15 mean on a ring
What does 92,916 mean stamped on a 14k gold and turquoise braclet mean it’s Native American
I got a ring that says OG 14k I read somewhere that means over layed gold is that true?
What does a diamond shap with the letter P inside the diamond stamp on my neckless claps mean
Hello My name is Denise and I have this ring that has a 1K and 14K what does this mean ??
I have a gold bracelet that says 14kth PY…does anyone know what the PY stands for?
I have a ring that appears to be white gold or platinum with very nice ruby colored stones that may or may not be real and on the inside of the band is stamped 7841 what does that mean?
I have a BCG gold stamped ring with three stones that look like diamonds. What does this stamp mean?
I have a ring that has 16 tiny pearls around 2 ruby’s on the inside it is stamped 10k on the other side it is stamped in a square box SE what does that mean
Hello and thank you. My name is Trina. I lost my Mom suddenly and unexpectedly Christmas Eve, 2020. She’s my “Mother by birth and my best friend by choice”. Among her jewelry I found many things…unfortunately her care giver was stealing anything and everything that could fetch $20.00 so I’ll never know exactly what she had. However my Mom is the Queen of “bling and gaudy, oversized, make a loud statement”….lol I think you get the ide. But let me get back to my question…apologies for getting lost and going on about my Mom. There is a neckless in the midst of it all, that I wanted to ask you about. On the “clasp” side are the markings “ITALY” on one side and “925” on the other side. Then on the “hook/hoop” end are the letters “GLO”….I was curious as to what all that ment. I have never been “into” jewelry but I am beginning to find it all fascinating! Thank you for your time and I hope you have a God Day…
from curious and sad,
Trina from Phoenix, Arizona
Why does the earring say coc? What does that mean?
Hello I have a 14kt gold necklace but has a c with r in middle what does this mean
What does 14k ho mean on a gold bracket
I have a bracelet that has a N and the roman Numeral 2 on it can someone please tell me what they both mean?
I have a full gold looking bracelet with a small 916 engraved and below it is a TA and then there’s a a circle around the whole thing what does the TA stand for?
Can anyone explain this stamp? It’s an XL stamp, with some sort of stamp next to it.
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