Identifying Gold Hallmarks

The history of hallmarking dates back to around 1300 when a Statute of Edward I instituted the assaying (testing) and marking of precious metals. The original aim of the system (which remains the same today) was to protect the public against fraud. Markings on gold are typically made up of two pieces of information. The first, which most people are familiar with is the “hallmark” or “karat marking” (sometimes referred to as a “stamp”) which denotes the amount of actual gold the item contains. The most common markings used in the U.S. to identify the purity of gold items are karat hallmarks (i.e. 10k, 14k, 18k, etc.). Many other countries hallmark gold using the three-digit millesimal fineness number (as shown below) to indicate the purity of a gold item.

The second type of mark which is sometimes found on gold items (but not always) is the jewelers or manufacturers mark (which identifies who made the item). The jeweler’s or manufacturer’s mark is sometimes just a single letter, or sometimes a combination of multiple letters. These marks may even be some type of symbol (such as a lion’s head) which is more commonly found on older gold items.

Many hallmarks on gold are very small and hard to read; and with the use of laser etching techniques many items are hallmarked with very tiny print and sometimes in very unique (and hard to find) locations. This is why it is important to use a jeweler’s loupe or some other type of magnifying devise of at least 20x magnification or better when you are looking for gold hallmarks which will make it much easier to find and identify them correctly!

Below is a list of the most common purity hallmarks that you are likely to find on your gold items:

North American Markings:

9k or 9kt

10k or 10kt

14k or 14kt

18k or 18kt

22k or 22kt

24k or 24kt

European Millesimal Fineness Markings:

375

416 or 417

583 or 585

750

916 or 917

999

British Markings:

9ct or 9kt

10ct or 10kt

14ct or 14kt

18ct or 18kt

22ct or 22kt

24ct or 24kt

While the laws regulating gold hallmarking tend to vary throughout the world, gold hallmarking is still regulated in one way or another by law in most countries. Gold hallmarking in the United States is governed by the laws of U.S. Code, Title 15, Chapter 8 — Falsely Stamped Gold or Silver or Goods Manufactured Therefrom. While this helps to curb fraud and other illegal activity when it comes to hallmarks found on gold items, it does not guarantee that the hallmarks found on items are always 100% accurate! Gold items are made all over the world, many in places where the “laws” are either very lax (to say the least) or in some cases may not exist at all! Therefore, while the hallmark on a gold item can be, and for the most part is universally accepted as an indication of the amount of gold the item contains; again, it may not ALWAYS be 100% accurate! It is for this reason that it is a VERY good idea to confirm any hallmarks found on your gold items by having them tested!

Source by Chris L. Rossi

Identifying Gold Hallmarks