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 gold, diamond ring and the only things that are stamped on the inside is 10(no K after) and on the other side is the letters AN. I also have 5 other rings that have little ingraved pictures in them. I can send pictures, really need help.
Hi Lindsey,
Unfortunately the AN stamp has been used by many designers and manufacturers; it would be difficult to assess which one made the ring without seeing the actual piece. As for the other 5 rings, they may be British or generally European in origin if they’re fine jewelry. Marks from the UK use many pictures to indicate metal type and location- for instance, a sterling silver ring created in Birmingham will have a lion passant stamp for the silver, and an anchor stamp for Birmingham.
I appreciate your reply and has really informed me. What about the 10 without any letter after it?
Hi Lindsey,
It’s not uncommon for a stamp to be poorly struck onto the metal or wear off over time. Since you said it was a gold ring, it probably was supposed to say 10k to indicate 10 karat gold content, or 41.6% gold.
I also have an eagle ring that appears to be silver but it, too, has just a 10 stamped behind one of the wings. That’s the only stamp on it. I’m stumped!
I have a gold necklace with pendant. Only M and diamond above it as a mark. Can you tell me meaning of that?
Thank you in advance
Hi there,
It’s hard to tell without a picture, but this stamp could indicate either Jensen Designers or Marathon Company as the manufacturer.
I have a silver colored ring with 10 stamped on the band and the letters nri on the bow
Hi Larry,
10 and NRI do not correspond to any metal stamps. They’re probably the manufacturer’s stamps.
do you know the meaning of C 18k in my ring and its price. . .
Hi Noel,
18k means 18 karat gold, which is 75% gold. C is most likely the manufacturer’s mark.
How should the tag of a 14K & 18K vermeil piece of jewelry be stamped? Should the tag be stamped 925 because it’s sterling silver underneath the gold overlay? or should other numbers/letters be stamped on the tag to show there’s gold over the sterling silver?
Best regards,
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
Does the piece of jewelry contain both 14K and 18K gold? Normally, a piece of gold vermeil jewelry will have one type of gold, so the stamp will be 925 18K. I’ve also seen pieces with the stamp VERMEIL (the karat gold is optional, but some stamps will indicate it like 10K Vermeil.)
What does it mean to have a D stamped on my diamond earrings
Hi Shelia,
The D is most likely a manufacturer’s hallmark; it doesn’t indicate anything about the metal.
I have a necklace that has 925 Italy JCM stamped on it. What does this mean?
Hi Emma,
This necklace is sterling silver (92.5% silver) and was made by Jacmel, a jewelry manufacturing company that has locations around the world.
What does a PE stamp mean on a gold ring
Hi there,
PE doesn’t indicate anything about the metal, it’s probably a manufacturer’s stamp.
I have a Ring with stamped G750, Its stand for 18K Gold but on the Ring another stamped 4.790 ct and Do.071ct, Can anyone help me to find out what us this ?
Hi Raja,
It sounds like you have an item that has stone stamps inside of it. You’re correct about the 750 for 18k gold; the other numbers are the carat stamps for the stones set into the item.
10kp /925 it’s xo necklace with sliver hearts I hope kp don’t mean plated and if not is the whole necklace sliver ?? Cuz I only see little bit of sliver but I know that don’t mean much
Hi Amber,
10kp means 10k gold karat plumb. This term refers to the exact purity of the gold; 10k is 41.6% gold so the KP indicates that your necklace contains a gold content of 41.6% or higher. The 925 means that your item also contains sterling silver. Based on your description, this necklace is gold vermeil, which is a specific type of plating. An item can only be called gold vermeil if the base metal is sterling silver.
I have a wedding set marker 14 kt and F.D what does it mean?
Hi Jessica,
14kt means 14 karat gold or 58.3% gold content. F.D. is a common manufacturer’s stamp that is used by several companies; figuring out the age of your item might narrow down who made it.
I just bought a pair of hoop earrings that are marked 9kl. What does that mean ?
Hi Denise,
If they’re gold, that is a mark for 9 karat gold or 37.5% gold content. In the US this cannot be legally sold as “gold” since US standards set the minimum as 10 karat to be a substantial gold alloy.
What does scsc14k mean
Hi Tiffany,
14k is a reference to your item being made out of/or containing 14k gold, or 58.5% gold. The SC is a manufacturer’s stamp or a brand stamp; are you sure it’s two SCs instead of one? SC is the stamp used by Sarah Coventry around 1950; the brand was well-known for producing both fine and costume jewelry.
I Found a earring marquee cut and on the post it has I think stc and I think a 1 circled on the post
Hi Rose,
STC is a pretty common manufacturer’s stamp, but if your item is sterling silver it may be from the Skyway Trading Company.
i have a ring that has 3/5 and the letters M.K next to it thanks for the help
Hi there,
M.K. is a common manufacturer’s stamp used by several companies. Could you provide more details on your ring, like the type of metal and the design?
I have a piece marked SRB 14k SR 4K 14k L ( I believe its an L, forgive my ignorance) what does this all mean pieced together? Haha.
Hi Evie,
Wow, this is quite a bizarre one; it’s very rare to see so many stamps, especially redundant ones. The 14k means it’s 58.3% gold (white, rose or yellow depending on the color of your item), but it’s odd to see it repeated twice. The 4K is unheard of- my guess is that it’s supposed to be another 14k stamp that was misstruck and left out the one in front. As for the other marks, they could be the maker’s mark. I think the second SR could be yet another SRB that was also misstamped like the 14k after it. The L could be an indication that this item was made in Italy, but this also means that the item might be a counterfeit. I would get this metal tested to see if it is in fact 14k gold.
Annabelle
What does the stamp SG stand for
Hi Aaron,
That is a maker’s mark that is used by several designers who have the initials SG. If you can provide more information about your item we might be able to narrow it down and make an educated guess.
Annabelle
I have a pearl necklace marked with only 147204. What does that means?
What does VE stamped inside a gold band with a rain drop diamond mean? Is the ring not made of gold?
Hi Missy,
Could you give me more information about your ring? VE sounds like it’s the maker’s stamp instead of a metal indicator. Are there any other stamps inside the ring?
Annabelle
What does A 925 on a ring mean? Its a really old ring
Hi Sara,
925 is the stamp for sterling silver, which means that your ring is 92.5% silver.
Annabelle
Looking at a necklace that is claiming to be gold filled and has a stamp ’24KG’ with no extra letters like listed above. Thoughts?
Hi Danny,
That could be a legitimate claim; 24k gold is pure gold and it’s rare to find items made from solid 24k gold because it’s too soft for practical, everyday use. If it’s used for gold fill, however, that makes more sense because it’s essentially a layer of gold on top of a sturdier base metal, like sterling silver or an alloy.
Annabelle
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