How to Read Silver and Gold Hallmarks on Jewelry

Precious-metal jewelry usually carries a tiny cluster of stamps that, once you can read them, reveal the metal\'s purity, where it was tested, when it was made, and who made it. Learning to decode hallmarks turns an anonymous ring or brooch into a datable, attributable piece, and protects you from plated or under-karat items sold as solid gold or silver.

Find the Marks

Hallmarks hide on small, discreet surfaces, so use a loupe and strong light. Once you locate the cluster, photograph it enlarged so you can study each stamp separately.

• Check the inside of ring shanks, clasp tongues, and the backs of brooches and pendants.
• Look along the inner edge of bangles and the posts of earrings.
• Use a 10x loupe and raking light to catch shallow or worn stamps.

Decode Purity, Assay, and Date

Read the stamps in sequence. A purity mark such as a karat number or a millesimal fineness figure states the metal standard, an assay or town mark shows where it was tested, and in many traditions a date letter pins the year. A separate maker\'s mark identifies the workshop. Together these can date a piece precisely.

• Identify the purity: karat numbers for gold, fineness figures or a standard mark for silver.
• Match the assay or town mark to the testing office.
• Read the date letter and maker\'s mark against a hallmark reference.

Verify and Watch for Fakes

Marks can be forged or transposed from scrap, so confirm the metal itself is consistent with the stamps. Gold should not react to careful testing the way plated base metal does, and silver has a characteristic color and weight. A genuine-looking hallmark on the wrong kind of metal or an impossible combination of marks is a warning, not a guarantee.