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 ring with a clear stone and inside is a circle that says either cr or gr
What does this mean?
Hi there, that is most likely a makers mark!
I have a ring . It has only stamp “PAD”. What does this stamp mean ?
Hi there, thats most likely a makers mark!
Hello I came across a mens wedding band, it is two toned and has 3 small diamonds on the front but I am curious as to what the inside meaning is of the ring. it looks to be a cursive “gp 10k” when Ive read up if its a gp for gold plated it will always be AFTER the 10k. Also on the other side inside the ring it just says 10k again but with a dot inside of a diamond, can anyway explain what these mean? Ring was purchased early 90s.
Hi there, the GP most likely does mean gold plated and the other stamp is a makers mark!
I have a coin someone gave me that has a stamp on it reading 24k tfpg and another stamp that has o8561 what do they mean
Hi there, those other stamps are most likely makers marks!
I have a 10 k diamond ring and on one side it’s stamped 1/5 what does that one mean
Hi Timothy, that could the 1/5 could mean the carat weight of your diamonds!
I have a Ruby ring, shaped like a flower, from the outside in, 6 pear shaped ruby stones then an inner ring of 6 round ruby stones, then a ring of 8 small ‘diamonds and a central round ruby on a white metal, it bears the marks:
B (in script font inside a box) followed by 18k and then the number 605.
My Father bought it for me in the 60’s in the Far East, possibly Hong Kong, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur.
Can you tell me what these marking mean please?
Hi there, that means it is made from 18k and possibly comes from India
What 8 on the inside of ring
Hi there, could you please provide a picture?
My ring has BW10k on it. What does that mean?
Hi there, that means your ring is made of 10k gold
can anyone tell me what these stamps are? Its a petite diamond cross pendant
Hi there, your cross is make from 10k gold
I have a ring that says 14k IST, what does it mean?
Hi there, that means its made of 14k gold and IST is a makers mark
What does YR signify? No year or K
Hi there, the YR is a makers mark!
Ring marked ng18k what is the ng mean?
Hi there, NG is just a makers mark!
I have a 10k yellow gold ring supposedly from jtv that is stamped BBJ. Any idea what that means besides Big Booty Judy??!! Lol
Hi there, BBJ is probably just a makers mark!
I have a ring that says PLAT 389 and 92 on the other side. Can’t find anything on this. Could you clarify at all?
Hi there, that just means your ring is made from platinum and 389 is it’s purity
4/20 is marked on the clasp of my pearl bracelet, what does it mean>
Hi there, that means your bracelet is gold filled!
I have a gold ring with the stamp ol 14k what does that mean
Hi there, the ol is a makers mark and 14k means which type of gold your ring is made from
what does the GT3 in 18K ring mean?
Hi there, the GT3 is a makers mark!
What does .925 NK on a pendant mean?
Hi there, that means it’ made of sterling silver!
What does .925 AU © MEAN on a ring
Hi there, that means it is a sterling silver base metal
Hi, I have a beautiful 14k gold ring with a single sapphire and several small diamonds. The makers mark is T with a C running through the T. Do you have any ideas?
Hi there, I’m not sure of that mark. Where did you buy the ring from?
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