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.
Ive got a bracelet with E5 on one end and s/c on the other , anyone help with that?
Hi Shannon,
The s/c might be Sarah Coventry, especially if there’s a copyright symbol as well.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
Annabelle
What does ys Italy stamp on my ring means?
Hi Ravit,
The YS may be a designer mark or a term describing the metal, I’d have to know more about your ring to tell you. Italy is most likely the place of origin.
Annabelle
I have a bangle in a very dark gunmetal colour. It’s Solid Silver. Inside it has. LetterT in a circle. Who’s make is it
Hi Patricia,
That manufacturer’s stamp has been used by both high-end jewelry manufacturers and artisans. If you can provide more detail about its approximate appearance and age it’ll be easier to narrow down who made it.
Hi Annabelle I have a gold or gold-plated bracelet with the stamp ” H & S ” on the inside edge of it. A manufacturer’s initials?? Any ideas??
Most likely a manufacturer’s stamp. It doesn’t indicate anything about the metal content.
Hi Annabelle i have a pair of earing with the stamp “G” inside. What does it mean? Thank you
I got a ring stamp .77 and 10k its 3 round diamonds what is it worth
I have an ear ring that has two marks on it one us in a circle and looks like a s and a backward j almost a u. The other is a TH all by itself. I hope its good but I’m not sure.
Hi Jackie,
Going off your description, it could possibly be from Thailand (due to the TH) or manufactured by the International Silver Company if your item is silver. The backwards j might be a rubbed out C.
Annabelle
If it’s AU it could mean gold as that’s its symbol on the periodic table.
I have been left a ring that has 10 small dimmonds inside it says 18ct fine plat with the numbers 7449 is this real?
I have a pendant with the number 7970 on it with a C inside a circle and B any idea?
Hi Sharon,
This is pretty cool! If your pendant is old, the 7970 might be a patent number that corresponds to the year 1875. As for the C in a circle, that’s a copyright symbol.
Annabelle
My jewelry has 925 and 30 engraved on it. What does the 30 mean?
I was given my mothers ring when she passed away 8 years ago. This ring is gold with 4 slightly large stone in the middle and 14 smaller stones around them. Inside the band on one side it has LOI3 and on the other side it has 14KP. The rings stones all make it look like a rounded marquise shape. Could you tell me what all it means?
Thank you
14KP is for 14 Karat Plumb Gold. This means that it is exactly 14K. Most things marked 14K are somewhere between 13-15K gold actually.
My mothers sapphire and diamond ring also has the marks PLR and PMS8 (or could be a B) stamped on it as well as 375 which I know about. What do the first letters mean please. I don’t wear the ring as it’s a bit of a knuckle duster!
425k TM is what it looks like but unsure what does it mean if it is
Hi Shayla,
If the item is gold that probably means 42.5% gold.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Annabelle
750 ⭐️ 389 VA stamped on the earrings, let me know what that means? Thanks
May I ask if you have checked with jeweller if 389 is real gold? Thanks
Hi there,
This doesn’t seem to be a known gold stamp.
I’m with all those just above here with a “10”. I have an eagle ring with just a10 behind one of its wings. But the ring appears to be silver. What do you make of it,?
Italian stamp for 18K Gold, star 389 VA is the registration number for the goldsmith in Varese.
What does 750 star16 mean? I know 750 is 18k gold but any idea about star#?
I saw a post in another discussion & they had a 14k gold with star8.
Could it be that star8, star16, star24 would correspond to 14k,18k,24k respectively?
Just what came to mind after reading that.
Thanks for your time!
It’s probably the manufacturer’s stamp. It’s redundant to stamp it twice with the metal content.
What does 14K FTH V means?
I have a 10k gold diamond engagement ring inside it had CG what does that mean?
hi Darlene, i have the same mark on my ring and with real diamonds they have been checked and the gold is real but also i do not know what CG Means
looks like yours is real like mine. as i had mine checked and all is good and real even the diamonds with natural mined sapphire
perhaps its the ahm maker or something the store or might mean clarity g or i honestly don’t know but i do know u have a real RING ur DIAMONDS are real
I got a ring with the number 10 inside, but no other markings or letters… do you know what this is?
Most likely the size of there is no k after it
I have a pair of earrings that have a 45 stamped on the inside of them and I can’t find what It means. Can you please help me out?
What does the letters IC engraved mean
Hey so I have a neckless stamped with the numbers 876 is that white gold and if so what karet is it
21k gold
I have earings stamped s.sil 380926 have no idea wat it means
sterling silver
I have a charm of mother Mary holding Jesus well I can’t barely see the engravings but it looks like u18or something Hong like it I have a pic close up but can’t seem to send it here can u possibly tell with it
Hello, I have a bracelet with making 10k on one side of and JRW on the other, what does JRW mean? Thank you in advance
JRW is the Maker Mark and stand for John Woodlly from Woodlly Jeweller
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