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 what appears to be a white gold or sterling silver ring the only marks I can find in it is the number 8 what does this tell me about my ring
Hi Joe,
That could be an manufacturer’s stamp or (in some cases) the size of the ring. It doesn’t indicate anything about the metal.
Hello, Great site! We just found what could be a diamond earring in our house. The marking on the stem says “INV 14K”. It’s white gold/silver colour. We know what 14k means, but what does the “INV” mean? Is it the Manufacturer?
Hi Frank,
It’s the manufacturer’s stamp; the 14k indicates it’s 58.3% white gold.
I have a bracellet the stamp on it says 14 xcl can you tell me what tbis means?
Hi Trevor,
Could you provide more information on what type of metal your item is and the approximate age? It’s rare for a piece of jewelry to have the number 14 as a stand-alone, usually it should be 14k to indicate 58.3% gold.
My husband and I purchased wedding bands- they read 21K & Columbus.
What do these stand for ?
Hi Jona,
21k gold means your item contains 87.5% gold. Columbus is the manufacturer’s stamp.
What does PATD stamp on earring mean?
Hi Billy,
That doesn’t seem to correspond to any metal stamps. It’s probably the manufacturer’s signature.
I have a dolphin pendent with 14k and a heart stamp with sr in it wat is this stamp
Hi Jesse,
The 14k means your item is 58.3% gold. The SR stamp is the manufacturer’s stamp.
I have a possibly vintage gold ring. Its 2 stone and has 14k stamp with two diamonds side by side. One of the diamonds has the letter K and the other diamond has the letter B inside if them. It also has another 14k stamp with what looks like a KA stamp it’s hard to tell because the the A is part of the K. I hope I explained that well enough for you to understand. I cant find anything to help my identify the stamps. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!
Hi Megan,
That certainly sounds unique! The stamps sound like they’re manufacturer’s stamps (aside from the 14k). We would have to see the ring and its design in order to determine its age, which would help narrow down who made it and when.
i have a bracelet marked 5 upside down and c what does it mean?
Hi Victor,
That doesn’t indicate anything about the metal. It is probably the manufacturer’s stamp.
I have a gold necklace it reads 14k plt what do that mean?
Hi Keem,
14k means your item contains 58.3% gold. The PLT could be the manufacturer’s stamp, or an abbreviation for plated.
I have a necklace and bracelet marked with what looks like 3/c any help would be appreciated
Hi Joan,
That stamp doesn’t indicate anything about the metal of your jewelry. It’s probably the manufacturer’s stamp.
I have a fob chain with free moving T-bar and the only stamp that I can find is in the Albert clasp, st6-923. What does the stamp numbers mean?
Hi Sally,
This is difficult to determine- is your piece vintage? What color metal is it? The stamp numbers may mean a variety of things without an approximate age to narrow down options.
It is a silver Fob. Not sure of the age as I picked it up at a secon hand store. However, it is heavy.
Hi – I have a chain with a clasp marked GERMANY. No other markings. What does this mean?
Hi Laura,
Your item was made in Germany, from the looks of it. This tends to be a more vintage stamp but we would need more information about the type of chain and the metal in order to give you a better approximation.
Very nice & helpful site. Thank you, I’ll be referring to it again, most likely. However, I couldn’t find the answer I was hoping to find. I have a ring that is stamped K80. Might you know what it means? Might it mean it’s 80% pure gold? I have acid testers for 10,12,14,18 & 22K gold, but if it’s 80% gold none of my acid test will likely work on it. Anyhow, any help/advice would be appreciated, greatly. Thank you & many blessings to you & yours in 2019.
Respectfully,
Mark
Hi Mark! We’re happy to hear that you like our content 🙂 K80 does not correspond to any standard metal stamps; it is probably a manufacturer’s mark.
It is a silver Fob. Not sure of the age as I picked it up at a secon hand store. However, it is heavy.
What does the number 52 mean stamped on a ring
Hi Tylor,
52 doesn’t indicate anything about the metal, so it’s probably the manufacturer’s stamp.
BDS =
GRNS =
LAB = labradorite or a stone created/made in a lab?
Hi there Wanda,
From what I understand of your comment you’re trying to ask about the meaning of BDS, GRNS, and LAB as stamps? Could you provide more information on what your item is, it’s difficult to determine without more context.
Sorry. I was in a rush at the time. I work in a jewellery counter and we receive jewellery with abbreviations as descriptions for each individual piece. [ ex. RHDM = rhodium (plated), SW = swarovski zirconia, SQR = square, ITA = made in Italy, MNSTN = moonstone. ]
I am searching for what BDS, GRNS, LAB might mean.
I have a silver fob chain with free moving T-bar and the only stamp that I can find is in the Albert clasp, st6-923. What does the stamp numbers mean? Was purchased from a second hand store so not sure how old it is. However it is heavy.
Hi, my Goddaughter has taken her Mums wedding ring into a local Jewellers to be sized, as her Mum has recently passed away very suddenly, and she would like to be able to wear it. After inspecting the ring,to see hallmark etc, the jeweller said that there was an inscription on the band, but in 12 years in the jewellery business, she had never seen anything like it. the inscription was not written but stamped onto the band. The inscription reads ‘LUCKY’ this upset my Goddaughter, as neither her or her Sister were aware or it. My Goddaughter has contacted me as we are all very close, to see if I could shed any light on it. I can’t, and I don’t even know if her Mum was aware it was there. As sometime ago she herself spoke to me about having the ring sized down as it was too big for her. If she had been aware of this inscription, she would have mentioned her concern to me or her Daughters re losing it if the ring was altered. Can you shed any light on this stamped inscription. The ring was purchased in England, in 1970, from what would have been a local jeweller.
We are all intrigued about this and would be grateful for your help TY Maura Cripps
08/01/19
Hi Maura,
Based on your description the ring is probably from H. Samuel, a jewelry company that was founded in Liverpool, 1862. The LUCKY stamp seems to be consistently used with the time period you mentioned (late 1960s to 1970) and may be the stamp of the manufacturer that made the jewelry for H.Samuel.
The jeweler should be able to resize the ring without removing the LUCKY stamp, unless if your goddaughter is significantly sizing down. If your local jeweler is having issues with it, you can send it over to us, as we can provide alternative sizing options that will preserve the interior marks.
I bought a what appears to be a silver ring but I don’t know what the stamp means. It looks like a star inside a circle and has TC next to it.
Hi April,
The star inside the circle could indicate that this piece is from Laila Rowe, a company known for costume jewelry. They’ve been closing up shop in the last few years and I’m not entirely sure if they’re still in business. The TC could be the manufacturer who made the items for Laila Rowe’s designs.
I have a diamond mens ring that looks to be white gold. Has 14k ML and maybe an 8,E or B. The last digit seems to be stamped deeper(?) than the others but that could be only perception. Is this 14k gold or costume jewelry?
Hi Junior,
It sounds like your item contains 14k gold; however, this could also mean that it’s simply plated with 14k gold instead of being solid. You can send it in to us for a metal test if you want to determine whether or not it’s fine jewelry.
The ML and the additional letter is probably the manufacturer’s stamp and either a designer’s stamp or a size indicator (if it’s 8)
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