The tiny stamp inside your ring or on a bracelet clasp is a hallmark — a shorthand code for the metal’s purity. A 585 stamp means 14K gold (58.5% pure); a 925 stamp means sterling silver (92.5% pure). Read the number, find it in the tables below, and you know what the metal is worth per gram.
Where to Look for Hallmarks
Marks are placed where they do not affect appearance. You need a 10x jeweler’s loupe to read most of them — they are typically 1–2 mm tall.
| Jewelry type | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Rings | Inside the shank (band), opposite the setting |
| Necklaces and chains | On or near the clasp; on the jump ring; on a small solder tag |
| Bracelets | On the clasp; on a link near the clasp |
| Earrings | On the post; on the back plate of a stud; on the clip mechanism |
| Pendants | On the bail (the loop); on the back of the pendant |
| Brooches | On the back, near the pin stem or hinge |
Tip: Raking light (coming from the side, not from above) makes worn marks visible. An LED phone flashlight held at an angle works well.
Gold Hallmarks
Gold jewelry uses two numbering systems depending on where it was made:
Karat system (US, Canada): The number of parts gold out of 24. “14K” = 14/24 = 58.3% gold.
Millesimal fineness (Europe, Asia): Parts per thousand of pure gold. “585” = 58.5% gold. Both systems appear on the same piece sometimes.
| Stamp | Karat | Gold purity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 375 | 9K | 37.5% | UK, Australia. Not legal minimum in US. |
| 417 | 10K | 41.7% | US legal minimum |
| 585 | 14K | 58.5% | Most common in the US |
| 750 | 18K | 75.0% | Standard for fine jewelry in Europe |
| 916 or 917 | 22K | 91.6–91.7% | South Asian bridal jewelry; bullion coins |
| 999 | 24K | 99.9% | Bullion; some Chinese and Asian pieces |
Additional karat stamps you may see:
- 14KT — same as 14K; the T stands for karat.
- 14KP — “plumb” 14K; the manufacturer certifies it is not rounded up.
- 14K 585 — both systems printed together; no premium over plain 14K.
- GF or 1/20 14K GF — gold filled (a thick bonded layer, not solid gold).
- GP, GE, HGE, RGP — gold plated or electroplated (a thin surface coating; negligible scrap value).
- 18KGP — plated with 18K gold, NOT made of 18K gold. A common source of confusion.
Melt Value at a Glance (October 7, 2026)
At spot gold of $4,134.80/ozt (gold-api.com, 2026-10-07 07:29 UTC):
| Stamp | Gold purity | Value per gram |
|---|---|---|
| 417 (10K) | 41.7% | $55.44 |
| 585 (14K) | 58.5% | $77.77 |
| 750 (18K) | 75.0% | $99.71 |
| 917 (22K) | 91.7% | $121.90 |
| 999 (24K) | 99.9% | $132.81 |
Use the scrap gold calculator for today’s live figures. These are melt values — actual buyer offers are typically 70–90% of melt.
Silver Hallmarks
Silver uses the millesimal fineness system almost universally. The number represents parts per thousand of pure silver.
| Stamp | Name | Silver purity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 | Continental silver | 80.0% | European antiques, especially German and Italian |
| 900 | Coin silver | 90.0% | Pre-1965 US coins; some antique American pieces |
| 925 | Sterling silver | 92.5% | The global standard for jewelry and flatware |
| 950 | Britannia silver | 95.0% | UK and French fine silver |
| 999 | Fine silver | 99.9% | Bullion bars, some artisan jewelry |
Text marks equivalent to sterling: STERLING, STER, STG — all mean 925.
Non-silver marks that look like silver marks:
- EPNS, EP, A1 — electroplated, no solid silver
- Nickel silver, German silver, Alpacca — copper-nickel-zinc alloy with zero silver content
At spot silver of $60.73/ozt (October 7, 2026): sterling is worth $1.81/g. For the full breakdown, use the sterling silver calculator.
Platinum Hallmarks
| Stamp | Purity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PLAT | 95% minimum | Standard mark for platinum jewelry in the US |
| 950 | 95.0% | Most common platinum jewelry purity |
| 900 | 90.0% | Sometimes used in vintage pieces |
| 850 | 85.0% | Older or lower-grade platinum items |
Platinum does not tarnish. If a piece looks like white metal and is not attracted to a magnet, platinum is a possibility — but confirm with XRF because white gold and palladium look identical.
Marks That Mean “Not Solid Precious Metal”
| Mark | What it means |
|---|---|
| GP, GE, GEP | Gold plated or electroplated — thin gold skin over base metal |
| HGE | Heavy gold electroplate — thicker plating, still not solid gold |
| RGP | Rolled gold plate — gold sheet mechanically bonded (thicker than GP, less than GF) |
| GF or Gold Filled | At least 5% gold by weight, bonded to base metal — has some gold value |
| EPNS, EP, EPBM | Electroplated nickel silver — silver skin, no solid silver underneath |
| Silver plate | Same as EPNS by description |
| Nickel silver | No silver; copper-nickel-zinc alloy |
Country-Specific Symbols
United Kingdom: Four-punch hallmark system in use since 1300. Includes maker’s mark, standard mark (a lion passant for sterling silver; fineness number for gold), assay office mark (leopard’s head for London, anchor for Birmingham, rose for Sheffield, castle for Edinburgh), and a date letter.
France: Pictorial marks. Eagle’s head = 18K gold. Minerva head = silver. Owl = imported gold. These are small and may need magnification.
Italy: A star beside a province code and manufacturer number. Italian gold is typically 750 (18K).
Russia (imperial, pre-1917): Fineness in zolotniks out of 96: 84 = 875 silver, 56 = 583 gold. Look for the kokoshnik (woman’s headpiece) mark.
United States: No assay office stamps. Karat marks are self-certified by manufacturers under the National Gold and Silver Stamping Act of 1906, enforced by the FTC after the fact, not tested in advance.
What a Mark Cannot Tell You
- It cannot guarantee the age of the piece. A hallmarked gold blank made decades before being turned into jewelry carries the blank’s date, not the date of the finished object.
- It cannot survive alterations. Resizing a ring often removes the section with the mark.
- It cannot confirm a clasp belongs to the rest of a chain — clasps are frequently replaced.
- US marks are manufacturer claims, not independently verified purity certificates.
If a piece’s value is significant, test the metal independently. See how to test gold at home or how to test silver at home for DIY methods, or ask a jeweler for an XRF reading.