Is It Real Gold or Sterling Silver? Read the Marks First
Most pieces tell you what they are — in letters too small to read without a loupe. Here is what the common stamps mean, what the fakes and fillers look like, and when a stamp is not enough.
Gold marks
Look inside the ring, on the clasp or the tag of a chain, and on the back of brooches and pendants. A three-digit number is the purity in parts per thousand; a "K" is the karat.
Marks that mean solid gold
| 9K · 375 | 37.5% gold — British, Irish, Australian; real gold, below the US minimum to be sold as "gold" |
| 10K · 417 | 41.7% gold — the lowest that can be sold as gold in the US |
| 14K · 585 | 58.3% gold — the most common North American mark |
| 18K · 750 | 75% gold — the fine-jewelry standard |
| 22K · 916 | 91.7% gold — sovereigns, South Asian and Middle Eastern jewelry |
| 24K · 999 | 99.9% gold — bullion and investment pieces |
| 14KP · 18KP | "Karat plumb" — exactly 14K / 18K, not a minimum. The P is NOT "plated" |
Marks that mean a gold layer
| GF · 1/20 12K GF | Gold-filled: a bonded gold layer over base metal |
| GP · GEP · RGP | Plated / electroplate / rolled — microscopic gold, no melt value |
| 14K HGE · 18K HGE | Heavy gold electroplate — the karat describes the plating, not the piece; base metal underneath |
| Vermeil | Gold over sterling — the silver is real, the gold is a layer |
Silver marks
On flatware and hollowware the mark is on the back of the handle or the underside. Sterling is solid silver and has melt value; plate is a microscopic layer over base metal, and its melt value is effectively zero.
Marks that mean solid silver
| STERLING · 925 · .925 | 92.5% silver — American, Mexican ("925 Mexico"), most modern |
| Lion passant | English sterling, with a city and date letter beside it |
| 800 · 900 | Continental European silver, 80% / 90% |
| COIN | American coin silver, about 90%, pre-1870 |
Marks that mean plate
| EPNS · EP · EPBM | Electroplated nickel silver / Britannia metal |
| "Quadruple plate" · "Silver on copper" · A1 | Plate grades — a thin skin over base metal |
| IS · "Silverplate" · "Community" | International Silver / Oneida plate lines — says so outright |
Two home tests — and their limits
The magnet
Gold and silver are not magnetic. If a strong magnet grabs, there is steel or base metal in the piece — though a steel spring in a clasp can fool you. If it does not grab, that proves nothing: brass and many alloys are not magnetic either.
The stamp itself
A stamp is a claim, not a test. Stamps can be faked, and a plated piece can carry "14K" on the clasp with brass in the chain. That is why any serious buyer tests the metal rather than trusting the mark.
How we settle it
At your appointment we use touchstone acid testing and electronic verification to confirm purity, in front of you, and arrange offsite non-destructive XRF analysis when exact documentation is needed. Unmarked antique and custom pieces are tested the same way — a missing stamp is never a lost cause.
Hallmarks & Testing FAQ
My ring has no stamp — is it fake?
Not necessarily. Antique and custom-made pieces are often unmarked, and a stamp can wear away at a resize. We verify composition with onsite acid and electronic testing at your appointment, so an unmarked piece is never a lost cause.
What does 585 mean?
585 parts per thousand gold — 58.5%, the European way of writing 14K. 750 is 18K, 417 is 10K, 916 is 22K, and 999 is 24K.
Is 925 the same as sterling?
Yes — 925 is the numeric form of sterling, 92.5% silver. A piece marked either way is solid silver all the way through, which is what gives it melt value. Silverplate has none.
Does gold-filled jewelry have any value?
As metal, very little — a gold-filled piece carries only a few percent gold by weight, and plated pieces effectively none. Some signed or antique gold-filled pieces have collector value, which is a different question from melt. We will tell you which you have for free.
Can you test my jewelry for free?
Yes. Bring it to our Shirley St showroom in North Naples or book an appointment — we test and identify it in front of you at no charge and give you a real offer. We do not issue written insurance appraisals; for those we refer you to a certified independent appraiser.
Know what you have now? See what your gold is worth or what your silver flatware is worth.
Want to know for certain?
Tested and identified in front of you, free and with no obligation — at the Naples showroom or in your home.