Jewelry Stamping: Hallmarks

By law, jewelry items have to be marked with a metal purity hallmark and a trademark of the manufacturer/artist. Jewelry weighing below 2 grams does not require marking. Usually, hallmarks are found on the back side of the jewelry or near the clasps. Often, the marks are very small in size and require the use of a magnifying glass in order to observe their detail.

When a composition of metals is used in jewelry, the mark would correspond to the lowest value metal used. For example, 925 mark will appear on an item composed of both 14K Gold and Sterling Silver, 14K mark will appear on an item containing both 14K and 24K Gold, etc. The description of the item may, of course, include all types of metals and composites used for crafting the item.

Below is a list of hallmarks commonly used for marking jewelry:
24 Karat Gold - 24K or 999
22 Karat Gold - 22K or 917
21 Karat Gold - 21K or 875
18 Karat Gold - 18K or 750
14 Karat Gold - 14K or 585
14 Karat Goldfilled - 14K GF or 14K/20
10 Karat Gold - 10K or 417
9 Karat Gold - 9K or 375
Sterling Silver - 925
Pure Silver - 999
Platinum - Plat or .95 Plat

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