Gold Ring Hallmarks Guide

Import marks from 1999.
Gold ring hallmarks guide. If it was made in a country that adheres to the convention on the control and marking of articles of precious metals otherwise known as the common control mark you should find a set of hallmarks stamps. Authentic gold jewelry should have a stamp to indicate the purity of the gold in the piece. Precious metals such as gold and silver are generally too soft and malleable for practical use. How to understand the meaning of gold hallmarks.
Gold is measured in caratage or kt. Following a ruling of the european court of justice the uk is required to accept national hallmarks of member states who provide an equivalent guarantee. This is a simple and informative guide for understanding gold hallmarks how to identify them and the methods used for testing the purity of gold. In an ideal world manufacturers would be trustworthy enough to stamp their own products.
Have a look at your piece of jewellery. In a marks list database one might find an array of hallmarks and maker s marks plus information regarding the date and place of origin and the makeup and composition of the piece too. Home page contact us. A gold ring being stamped with a.
These numbers tell how pure the gold is. A brief history to be considered an antique a piece of jewelry must be 100 years or older while vintage jewelry must be more than 20 years old to be classified as such. British hallmarks date back to medieval times. This mark can be in several different formats.
Gold traders has compiled a gold hallmark identification wizard to help decipher the markings that are stamped on your item. Sell your gold now 0800 327 7878 01793 230 331. Gold is a soft metal and can easily bend or be broken when in its most purest form. The reality however is that gold hallmarks help to provide an impartial guarantee of an item s purity.
They are therefore mixed or alloyed with other harder metals. Hallmarks provide proof of an article s precious metal content. As our gold ring in the photo was made prior to 1973 hallmarking act the markings are slightly different but still. All of these formats are easy to understand except possibly the 3 digit number format.
585 14kt and 14k all mean 14 karat gold. A simple and easy to understand gold hallmark guide that explains british hallmarks on gold jewellery and how to identify them. The objective of a hallmark is to distinguish between metals such as white gold platinum and palladium which may look very similar but differ. Gold jewelry will often have different numbers inscribed or etched in them to signify the metal s karat content.
The assay office marks for gold would be in a square shield with chamfered corners and in a blunt oval for silver. When selling scrap gold including unwanted jewellery this purity is important in getting an accurate valuation.