Gold Hallmarks & Stamps Guide for Jewelry

Looking for a guide to gold hallmarks and stamps? We explain in detail for you. Using this guide, you can learn the meaning of numbers and values.

Stamps that mean your piece IS gold:

• A plain 14K stamp (14K gold hallmarks)
• 14K P (The “P” stands for plumb gold)
• 14K with a company logo after such as 14K <3
• 417 Stamp Gold: 10K, means 41.7% gold
• 585 Stamp Gold: 14K gold hallmarks, means 58.5% gold
• 750 Stamp Gold: 18K gold hallmarks, means 75% gold
• 917 Stamp Gold: 22K gold hallmarks, means 91.7% gold
• 999 Stamp Gold: 24K gold hallmarks, means 99.9% gold

That being said, even if your piece is stamped “14K” you cannot be 100% sure it is gold. There are a number of fake stamps out there and the only way to be 100% sure is to test the metal with a gold tester using nitric acid. On the other hand, even if there is no stamp it could still be gold.

Aside from the stamps or lack thereof, there are a couple other ways you (or most likely a jeweler) will be able to tell if the piece is gold:

1. If the piece is tarnished or discolored in a way that’s not typical of gold (certain gold can discolor)
2. By the weight (gold is very dense and therefore it should weigh more than any other non-gold piece its same size)