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 sapphire ring with two diamond on each side stamped 31c. What’s that mean.
Hi Robert! “31c” isn’t a standard purity stamp — it may be a maker’s mark, a stock or catalog number, or a proprietary quality mark from the manufacturer. It doesn’t correspond to a karat value (those are typically 10K, 14K, 18K, or 585/750 in European stamps). If you want to confirm the metal content for sure, we offer metal testing here: https://quickjewelryrepairs.com/repair/metal-testing/
Hi, I have a ring, I’m trying to identify. All it has is 3 dots stamped inside the band. My search on the internet hasn’t helped. Could you tell me anything about it? Thank you!
Hi Yia! Three dots alone aren’t a standard purity or maker’s hallmark — they could be a maker’s proprietary mark, a quality control stamp, or decorative. Without more context (metal color, weight, where it was purchased) it’s tough to pin down. If you’d like a definitive answer on metal content, we offer metal testing: https://quickjewelryrepairs.com/repair/metal-testing/ — that’ll tell you exactly what you’re working with.
I have a gold ring with stamped 10k PL mean and is it worth anything?
Hi Michelle! “10K” means the ring is 10 karat gold (41.7% pure gold). “PL” typically stands for “plumb” — a jeweler’s marking that guarantees the gold content is exactly as stamped, not rounded up. As for value, 10K gold does have melt value, but whether it’s worth selling or keeping depends on condition, weight, and any stones. If you’d like a formal appraisal, we offer that here: https://quickjewelryrepairs.com/repair/jewelry-appraisal/
I seem to be one of many searching for an explanation about this asterisk mark on gold jewelry. Any insight?
TY
The asterisk, we unfortunately do not have any special insight. It’s likely a manufacturer’s hallmark, and may be deliberately opaque – for example, if the mounting was manufactured by a different company than the one which set the stones. This is just speculation, however 😉
my daughter bought a necklace and the mark on the back looks like an H or a funky I on it. What doed that mean
Hi
Does anyone know what this stamp means.
Please can you help.Thanks.
The 10k will refer to the gold purity – 10 parts out of 24 pure gold. The MOM is likely a hallmark – specific to the piece’s manufacturer 🙂
Inside my ring it says vier. What does that mean?
This is stamped with a copyright ©️ and the letters shp. Anyone know what it means?
What does IWI mean
I have a male 10K ring with a red stone with PEER stamped on inside. What does it mean?
Hello! I have a ring with 14K-L inscribed inside. I’ve been doing some research and not coming up with anything other than possibly the jewelers trademark, but an “L” isn’t much of a trademark, right? Any thoughts?
What does c7 stamped in a piece of gold mean
925 kpj ring
Hello, I have a ring inside stamp says 14K18K and I think 1k, any idea what this means?
It could be referring to the stone quality and also the types of gold or silver used if it’s is a multiple part ring. For example a gold band twisted around a silver band.
I have a ring that says c in a circle then a c and a star symbol and 14k ..
I have a ring with 2732, and Z/J inside.
Any idea what these mean?
Can anyone tell me what the markings are on my necklace?
My ring is stamped with H 10k.. can anyone tell me what that means ??
While the 10k means 10 karat gold (41.7% pure), the H could be an item identifier or a manufacturer’s hallmark 🙂
I just purchased a rose gold leafed designed linked bracelet marked with CGO and 10 karat gold stamp. ( I was told it was 14 karat. ). What does the CGO stand for ? & what is it’s true value. Cost $420.00
I have a ring that looks silver but is stamped 10k any info on that?
Best guess will be that it is 10k white gold, likely with rhodium plating.
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