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 found a silver ring with ss 925 then a star with the letter f in the middle what doe that mean?
The SS 925 likely refers to the silver purity of a sterling silver ring, 92.5% pure silver. The star & letter “F” is likely a manufacturer’s hallmark – of which there are thousands, as many as there are jewelry manufacturers 😉
Hi just wondering what a stamp of 10/14 would indicate? On a Rose brooch not sure if diamonds or rinestones
This likely means that the brooch contains both 10k and 14k gold, e.g. the white is 10k, and the rose is 14k 🙂
Does this stamp mean it’s fake?
Thank you for commenting! And not necessarily, when I see a stamp I don’t recognize, by first assumption is that this is a maker’s mark rather than a defective metal/purity stamp. If you’d like your piece evaluated for fair market value, I recommend considering our jewelry appraisal service! 🙂
I have an engagement ring that has 10k on the inside of the band and next to it has the letters GDM. What does the GDM stand for?
This is likely the manufacturer’s hallmark, indicating who made the piece 🙂
What does d 14k mean on a silver ring
The “k” refers to karat purity of gold – perhaps the ring originally had gold plating, or is in fact white gold rather than silver?
Hi I have a ring with 55 marked inside. It also has some initial. Kindly help identify what its made of and the value in USD.
Our trained gemologist can absolutely answer the material and value questions with a certified appraisal! I’ve followed up with next steps via email 🙂
What does this mean 950 marked on my ear rings
This refers to the purity of your earrings’ metal – 95% pure! Typically, this is used in reference to sterling silver.
My Ring has 10K and a Camel and a circle with a c inside the circle what do these markings stand for or meaning behind them
Hi Steve, the 10k refers to the metal purity – e.g. 41.7% pure gold. The Camel and circle will be specific to the piece’s manufacturer – e.g. maker’s mark, item type, this sort of thing 🙂
1 10k?? What is this on my pendent
The “1” may be a maker’s mark – there are countless manufacturers, and their marks may change over time – while 10k refers to the gold purity (10 parts out of 24) 🙂
Hey there, I’m Hillary and I’m in Kenya, I want to sell a piece of jewellery, a diamond, do you people buy like from outside the country?
Thank you for reaching out, Hillary! We do not purchase jewelry, either domestically or internationally – our focus is entirely on repairs and manufacturing 😉
How do I post a pic of my ring I’d like to have a couple questions answered
Hi There, please email the photo to [email protected] for further assistance!
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!
What do the letters rtln 925 on a ring mean
Hi Melissa, those letters are makers marks!
I have a pendant of Jesus but it has an Italy stamp at back could you explain the meaning, please…
Hi there, that most likely means your piece was made in Italy and made of sterling silver or gold
My ring says 925 10k rl is it worth anything and is it real
Hi there, that means your ring is silver, possibly with 10k white gold plating!
Can someone please tell me ASAP What does the letters JST mean inside my ring. It says 10k so I’m guessing that’s 10 carat… I love this ring but I do t want to be paying over the odds and would like to know some Know of value.
Hi Jenny, JST is most likely a makers mark. Doesn’t necessary represent value. If you’d like to have your ring appraised for value, I do suggest using our appraisal services!https://quickjewelryrepairs.com/repair/appraisal/jewelry-appraisal/
I have gold ring with 18k engraved on inside only is this real or fake
Should be real if it’s stamped!
I have CA engraved on the shank of my sterling silver ring….wondering what the CA stands for? have tried to search the internet and not getting very far. It is marked 925 and has 7 green stones in it?
Hi There, CA is most likely a makers mark. The 925 means your piece is made of sterling silver
I have a silver coloured ring with a hallmark of maybe a heart and 2 dots next to it. The ring was quite misshaped my dad tried to straighten it and it broke . The metal is very soft
Hi there, could you please provide a picture of the ring? We may be able to help reshape this for you!
I have a diamond necklace real diamonds but not sure what Cu with heart is
Cu means that your piece is made with copper!
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