Jewelry Hallmark Guide

If you own a piece of precious metal jewelry, you have likely noticed a small stamp on a hidden part of the ring, necklace, bracelet or earring. These stamps are known as a jewelry hallmark, and appear on almost all precious metal jewelry. Jewelry hallmarking can give you clues as to the jewelry’s country of origin, metal content, purity, and the name – or initials – of the maker.

European Hallmarks

Hallmarking has a long and illustrious history that began in Europe during the 14th century. English and French jewelers in particular hallmarked their jewelry with elaborate designs and animal symbols to denote the origin of the jewelry, the metal, the purity, and the maker. Though intricate and lovely, the European hallmarks can be tough to decipher and are easily misinterpreted by a novice. Luckily for Americans, the U.S. jewelry hallmarking system is much easier to read.

American Hallmarks

Though many countries require jewelers to hallmark their precious metal jewelry, the United States interestingly does not. Yet despite the absence of a law mandating hallmarking, most U.S. fine jewelry does indeed come stamped to assure the purchaser of the quality of the metal. Since the purity of the metal is a major indicator of the jewelry’s value, many jewelry buyers feel more comfortable purchasing a piece that is hallmarked. However, it is important to note that a hallmark can also give a buyer a false sense of security since it is not tightly regulated in the U.S. Unscrupulous jewelers or street vendors can create their own hallmark to pass off poor quality jewelry as quality pieces. The most important factor is always to buy from a reputable jeweler.

Here is a quick rundown of the most common jewelry hallmarks that indicate the metal and purity:

U.S. Platinum Jewelry Hallmarks

Plat - A platinum ring marked with Plat or 950 Plat is considered nearly pure platinum (95% platinum) and is therefore quite expensive. 950 is the highest grade of platinum available for jewelry.

IridPlat - Platinum rings with this hallmark are 90% pure platinum with 10% other metals mixed in. These rings, also often marked with .90 Plat, cost less than their purer platinum counterpart above.

U.S. Gold Jewelry Hallmarks

10k - 10 karat gold is the lowest karat gold, and is composed of 10 parts gold to 14 parts other metals. 10 karat gold costs much less than higher gold purities.

14k - 14 karat gold is one of the most popular gold purities for gold jewelry. 14 karat gold is composed of 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals.

18k - 18 karat gold is very high quality gold, and is composed of 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals.

24k - 24 karat gold is pure gold, and is the most expensive and most malleable gold composition. The addition of other metals to gold makes it stronger and more durable, since 24 karat gold is quite soft and is easily dented, dinged and bent.

U.S. Silver Jewelry Hallmarks

900 - The 900 stamp on silver denotes that the metal is 9 parts pure silver and one part alloy metal. This stamp was used mainly on silver coins and is not commonly used on jewelry in modern times.
925 - 925 is the hallmark stamp for sterling silver. This is the most common hallmark seen on silver jewelry, and means that the jewelry is composed of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals. Sterling silver is the highest quality silver used in jewelry, since pure silver is much too malleable to be worn on a daily basis.

Apples of Gold carries a wide variety of precious metal jewelry in different purities. This allows customers to choose the right gold karat for their taste and budget.  Check out our selection of beautiful gold and platinum wedding bands, earrings, bracelets and necklaces at Apples of Gold.com.

18K Gold Men’s Cross Pendant

18K Gold Polished Men’s Cross Pendant

Apples of Gold Jewelry has released its most popular men’s gold cross pendants in 18k gold, including our 18k Gold Polished Men’s Cross Pendant and 18K Gold Onyx Cross Pendant.

The 14K Gold Men’s Cross Pendant has been our best selling men’s cross for over 3 years and with increased customer demand for 18k gold among both U.S. and European customers, Apples of Gold has crafted their most popular crosses now in 18k gold.

The Apples of Gold cross is a solid piece, fully finished on both sides (not hollow on back) and is a full 2.5mm thick, making it a substantial, quality piece for men that can be passed down through the generations. This inside of the cross is not hollowed either or tubular, but a full solid piece of gold. This cross is also available in 14k yellow gold or 18k white gold.

18K Gold Onyx Cross Pendant

A bold and unique version of the same cross is our men’s gold onyx cross pendant, which is also now available as an 18k gold onyx cross. Sleek lines of yellow gold contrast beautifully against the genuine black onyx stones. Another fully solid piece, measuring 1 3/4″ tall by 1″ wide and a full 2.5mm thick to accommodate the black onyx stones.

Onyx stones are a member of the quartz family. Occurring naturally in a variety of colors, black onyx is polished smooth to enhance its deep black color.

This piece is also available in 14k gold and 14k white gold.

Women’s Solid Gold Crosses

Get a matching set with our women’s 14k gold cross pendant (available in 18k gold by request) or our women’s 14k gold onyx cross pendant.

The womens’ versions measure 1″ tall x 3/4″ wide. The difference with Apples of Gold Jewelry crosses is that they are thick, fully solid pieces that you can pass on through the generations to your family, children, and the ones you love!