At Bishops Jewelry, we evaluate jewelry on a daily basis. For instance, one of the first things we look for when inspecting an article of jewelry are the stamp marks. These stamp marks can tell us a lot of information about the jewelry and help us identify things like: metals, carat weight, manufacturer, trademarks, jeweler, or designer. In this article, we will discuss what these stamp markings mean so you can identify these similar markings on your jewelry.
Stamp Key
| MARK | MEANS |
| 9K | 9 Karat Gold |
| 10K | 10 Karat Gold |
| 12K | 12 Karat Gold |
| 14K | 14 Karat Gold |
| 18K | 18 Karat Gold |
| 20K | 20 Karat Gold |
| 22K | 22 Karat Gold |
| 24K | 24 Karat Gold |
| .417 | 10 Karat Gold |
| .585 | 14 Karat Gold |
| .750 | 18 Karat Gold |
| .833 | 20 Karat Gold |
| .999 | 24 Karat Pure Gold (Yellow Gold) |
| P | Plumb Gold (must be the karat weight stamped or higher) |
| PLAT | Platinum |
| PT | Platinum |
| 900 or 950 | Platinum (90% or 95% pure platinum mixed with alloy) |
| 10%irid-platinum | Platinum alloyed with 10% iridium |
| S.S. | Stainless Steel |
| Steel | Stainless Steel |
| St. Steel | Stainless Steel |
| Silver | Sterling Silver |
| S. Silver | Sterling Silver |
| Sterling Silver | Sterling Silver |
| 925 | Sterling Silver |
| .950 | Sterling Silver |
| Titanium | Titanium |
| Tungsten | Tungsten |
| Pd | Palladium |
| KP | Karat Plumb |
| CZ | There is a cubic zirconia in the ring (not a diamond) |
| G.F. or G.P. | Gold Filled or Gold Plated |
| SOL | Solitaire Diamond (usually followed by some carat weight) |
| D | Diamond |
| ct | Carat (referring to stone weight) |
| cw | Carat weight of stones |
| 6,7,8,9,10 | Could refer to ring size |
| G.E. | Gold Electroplated |
| H.G.E. | Heavy Gold Electroplated |
| WGD | Weight gold |
You may see other stamps in your jewelry that are not covered here, especially letters in the stamp that indicate the name of the designer or manufacturing company. These are called “Hallmarks” and there are many books and references on their individual meanings.
One thing you will most likely have difficulty with is reading or finding the stamp in your item of jewelry. This is where a loupe, or magnifying glass, will come in handy. Be sure to examine the entire jewelry item thoroughly, there are many places a stamp can be hiding and I have personally been fooled many times.
At Bishops Jewelry, we feel it is very important for our customers to be educated and to know what quality of jewelry they possess. We would like you to welcome you to bring your jewelry in anytime. Whether for cleaning, inspection, looking to sell, or just have some questions, we are more than happy to help.
Bishops Jewelry
1440 University Ave S,
Fairbanks, AK 99709
907-479-7001