Symbols stamped on jewelry can help you learn where your jewelry is from, when it was made, what metals it’s made of, and most importantly, how much it’s worth.
Keep reading for a guide to learn about
- Jewelry stamps identification
- What do the letters stamped on my gold jewelry mean?
- What do the letters stamped on my silver jewelry mean?
If you are looking to sell any precious metal jewelry, learn more in our guides about selling gold without getting ripped off and best gold buyers. We also recently did an experiment on pawning jewelry.
Symbols stamped on jewelry: How do I identify my jewelry markings?
Gold, silver, and platinum jewelry can be stamped or engraved with a number of small marks, usually placed in discreet places — like the back of an earring, inside of a bracelet or engagement ring, or on the clasp of a necklace or chain.
Here’s what common symbols stamped on jewelry actually mean:
Purity
Most fine jewelry is made of a metal alloy — a mixture of a precious metal like gold or silver combined with other metals to improve its durability (like yellow gold, white gold, sterling silver, etc.). These metals are too soft on their own to be used in jewelry.
Gold jewelry is often marked with a number followed by a K to show how much pure gold it contains, also known as its caratage. The higher the number, the higher the percentage of pure gold (and the more expensive):
- 24k = 99.9% pure gold
- 18k = 75% pure gold, 25% other metals
- 14k = 58.3% pure gold, 41.7% other metals
- 10k = 41.7% pure gold, 58.3% other metals
Sterling silver is an alloy of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper or nickel (copper is most common).
Even platinum is mixed with other metals in smaller quantities to make jewelry, typically between 1-5%.
While these markings are highly regulated and required in most of Europe, the United States does not require them.
However, the National Gold and Silver Stamping Act of 1906 does aim to prevent jewelry manufacturers from misrepresenting the “actual fineness” (purity) of the metal alloy it’s made of — whether the piece itself is marked or it’s sold with a tag or in a box that indicates its purity.
Sterling vs plated vs white gold: How to tell if your silver is real
Patents
In 1948, jewelry was included in the definition of artistic craftsmanship under U.S. copyright law and was officially protected under the Copyright Act of 1976. Some more modern jewelry pieces may be marked with a circled C (usually next to the manufacturer’s name or symbol) to indicate its design is copyrighted.
Before jewelry obtained copyright protection, however, jewelry makers had to apply for patents to protect their designs from being copied by competitors. Some older pieces of jewelry —like antique or estate jewelry — may be marked with the letter D followed by several numbers, which indicate the piece has a design patent.
You can search the patent number marked on your jewelry on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website to find out what year it was patented. If the patent number is less than seven digits, enter zero after the D for each digit less than seven (for example, D123 on a piece of jewelry would be entered as D0000123 in the search).
Maker’s markings
Maker’s markings are stamped on jewelry to indicate a piece’s authenticity. These marks are typically of the manufacturer’s initials, name, or a symbol that represents their brand.
Jewelry with the following maker’s markings have a high resale value:
- T & Co. or
- Cartier
- HW or Harry Winston
- D. Yurman, D.Y., or David Yurman
- V.C.A. or
Symbols stamped on gold jewelry: What do the letters stamped on my gold jewelry mean?
The most common mark on gold jewelry signifies its purity (the percentage of pure gold it contains). This is indicated by a number followed by a K or ct.
List of letter markings on gold jewelry
| 24k, 24ct, 999.9, or 999 | 99.9% pure gold |
| 22k, 22ct, 916 or 917 | 91.6-91.7% pure gold, 8.3-8.4% other metals |
| 18k, 18ct, or 750 | 75% pure gold, 25% other metals |
| 14k, 14ct, 583 or 585 | 58.3-58.5% pure gold, 41.5-41.7% other metals |
| 10k, 10ct, 416 or 417 | 41.6-41.7% pure gold, 58.3-58.4% other metals |
| Gold-filled, GF, gold-plated or gold electroplate | Item is plated in gold |
Sell your gold jewelry with CashforGoldUSA >>
Symbols stamped on silver jewelry: What do the letters stamped on my silver jewelry mean?
Silver jewelry is usually stamped with a three-digit number to indicate the purity of the silver it contains. The most common marking on silver jewelry is 925, which indicates the jewelry is made of sterling silver — an alloy of 92.5% silver and 7.5% of another metal (typically copper).
List of silver identification marks
| Symbol | Silver quality |
| 950 – Brittania silver / Walking lion symbol | 95% pure silver, 5% other metals |
| 925, S925 – Sterling silver | 92.5% pure silver, 7.5% other metals |
| 900 – Coin silver | 90% pure silver, 10% other metals |
| 800, 825, 830, 850 – European silver | 80-85% pure silver, 15-20% other metals |
| Silver-plated or silver electroplate | Item is plated in silver |
Sell your silver jewelry with CashforSilverUSA >>
Here is a pic of the back of a silver necklace from an ex-boyfriend (um, I only wear yellow gold, dude!), stamped “STERLING”:
Unusual jewelry symbols — mystery solved
Our readers asked us to help decipher some lesser-known symbols on jewelry. Most of them indicate the brand of jewelry, also known as a maker’s mark. We will continue adding to this list based on user comments:
| Symbol | Meaning |
| NRO | NRO is a brand of fashion jewelry. Most pieces are listed for sale on resale sites like ebay and Poshmark. |
| TD | Likely a maker’s mark from a jewelry maker. Possibilities include: Thomas Daniell, Thomas Dealtry, Thomas Dicks, Thomas Diller, or Thomas Ducrow |
| 5R | 5R is a color grade of ruby, which indicates it is dark, deep, or strong red. Other ruby color grades include: 2.5R (vivid red), 8.75R (pinkish red) and 7.5RP (purplish red) |
| IWI | Maker's mark for Imperial World Inc. |
| Circled N | Potential maker's mark for Noble & Co. F.H., though the N could also indicate the year the jewelry was assayed |
| BF | Likely a maker's mark for B.F. HIRSCH |
| FN | Likely a maker’s mark from a jewelry maker. Possibilities include: Francis Nelme, Francis Nisbet, Frederick Narborough, F.N. Walker, or Frank Neville |
| TH | Potentially a maker’s mark from a jewelry maker. Possibilities include: Theodor Herz, Th. Hoeboer, and Therese Hulwa. TH could also indicate the piece was made in Thailand. |
| 960 | Mark that represents Argentium Silver, which is made up of 96% silver |
| VI | VI may indicate the piece was made in the Italian town of Vincenza |
| SI | Likely a maker’s mark from a jewelry maker. Possibilities include: Salomon Infeld or Sigmund Isser |
| QG | Likely a maker's mark for Quality Gold, Inc. |
The following books may also help you learn what other hallmarks on your jewelry mean:
“World Hallmarks: Volume 1” from the Hallmark Research Institute
“Jackson's Hallmarks: Pocket Edition” by Ian Pickford
“Miller's Antiques Marks” by Judith Miller
Heritage Auctions also has a database of maker's marks.1
FAQs about jewelry stamps and markings
Does gold jewelry always have a stamp?
No, gold jewelry is not always stamped. Though countries like the United Kingdom have laws that require precious metal jewelry to be stamped with its caratage, the U.S. does not currently require jewelers to stamp purity marks on precious metals (though it does have laws to prevent jewelers from misrepresenting metal purity).
If you have gold-colored jewelry without a stamp, you can test to see if it’s real gold in a few ways (or you can get a jewelry appraisal):
- Hold it in a lighter flame — real gold will get bright hot after a while but will not darken (other metals will darken, and gold plating will melt off).
- Test it with a strong magnet — gold is not magnetic.
- Put it in water —real gold will not float and will not rust.
- Wear it —real gold jewelry will not turn your skin black or green.
How do you read hallmarks?
Jewelry hallmarks are often written as a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols. Here's how to read them:
Numbers – Three-digit numbers stamped on jewelry represent its purity. For example, 583 stamped on a piece of gold jewelry indicates the jewelry contains 58.3% pure gold (which means it is 14k gold). Silver jewelry might be stamped with 950, which represents Brittania sterling silver (95% pure silver).
Letters – Letter stamps represent the year a piece of jewelry was hallmarked, in a font that changes every 26 years (after the 26 letters have been cycled through). In 2000, the letters started at A again (the year 2022 is represented by an X).
Symbols – Hallmarks indicate jewelry has been certified and authenticated by an assay office, which tests the purity of precious metal jewelry. Each assay office has its own unique symbol that is stamped on the jewelry it assays. If you find a leopard head stamped on your jewelry, for example, you know it was certified by the London assay office.
Across most of Europe, hallmarks are required by law. However, they are not required or regulated in the United States. Some U.S. jewelry companies have their jewelry assayed in Europe to be able to sell it abroad.
All about selling gold by searching “sell gold near me”
Which hallmark gold is best?
999 or 999.9 hallmarked gold represents gold that is at least 99.9% pure, which makes it the most valuable. However, gold with this purity is considered too soft for jewelry making. 916 or 22k gold, which is 91.6% pure, is considered the purest gold suitable for jewelry.
If you are looking to sell any precious metal jewelry, we recommend selling to CashforGoldUSA.com or its sister site, CashforSilverUSA.com. Both sites offer:
- Payouts within 24 hours
- A+ Better Business Bureau rating
- 100% free door-to-door, trackable FedEx or USPS shipping
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- Free Jewelers’ Mutual insurance up to $100,000 per shipment
- Lloyds of London insurance in facility
Get a free estimate on your gold jewelry from CashforGoldUSA or on your silver jewelry from CashforSilverUSA >>
CashforGoldUSA accepts gold jewelry of any purity (but not gold-plated items). It also accepts gold bullion, gold scrap, and gold coins.
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SOURCES
- “Jewelry Maker's Mark Database,” Heritage Auctions. https://jewelry.ha.com/ref/designer-marks.zx#G
What do the letters stamped on my gold jewelry mean?
The most common mark ongold jewelrysignifies its purity (the percentage of pure gold it contains). This is indicated by a number followed by a K or ct.
What do the letters stamped on my silver jewelry mean?
Silver jewelry is usually stamped with a three-digit number to indicate the purity of the silver it contains. The most common marking on silver jewelry is 925, which indicates the jewelry is made of sterling silver.
Does gold jewelry always have a stamp?
No, gold jewelry is not always stamped. Though countries like the United Kingdom have laws that require precious metal jewelry to be stamped with its caratage, the U.S. does not currently require jewelers to stamp purity marks on precious metals.
Which hallmark gold is best?
999 or 999.9 hallmarked gold represents gold that is at least 99.9% pure, which makes it the most valuable. However, gold with this purity is considered too soft for jewelry making. 916 or 22k gold, which is 91.6% pure, is considered the purest gold suitable for jewelry.
