Reading Gold Hallmarks: How to Identify the Fineness
Before you can calculate the value of a piece of jewellery, you need to know how much gold it contains. The first clue is the hallmark. It is often tiny and hidden on the inside of a ring, on the clasp of a chain or on the loop of a pendant. With a loupe and a little practice, it can usually be read well. This article shows which hallmarks exist, what they mean and what to do if you cannot find one.
Common Fineness Marks
In Germany, fineness is stated in thousandths. The most common marks on gold are 333, 375, 585, 750, 900, 916 and 999. On silver you will find 800, 835, 925 and 999. Other countries commonly use karats:
1. 8K or 8kt equals 333 gold.
2. 9K equals 375 gold.
3. 14K equals 585 gold.
4. 18K equals 750 gold.
5. 22K equals 916 gold.
6. 24K equals fine gold (999).
Older pieces sometimes bear different numbers such as 583, or additional symbols. A maker's mark often appears next to the fineness. It says nothing about the gold content but helps to classify a piece.
What Does German Law Require?
The German Act on the Fineness of Gold and Silver Wares does not make hallmarking compulsory. But anyone who states the fineness must follow the legal rules: it is given in thousandths, and the actual content may only fall slightly below it. For jewellery, the law allows a deviation of at most 10 thousandths when the whole piece is melted down. A correctly stamped piece is therefore a fairly reliable guide, but no guarantee against forgeries.
Beware of These Marks
Some marks look like gold but mean that only a thin layer of gold is present:
1. GP or GEP (gold plated): electroplated, with a base-metal core.
2. GF (gold filled) or RG (rolled gold): a mechanically bonded gold layer, often marked like 1/20 12K. The gold share of the total weight is small.
3. HGE (heavy gold electroplate): also only plated.
4. Doublé: an older term for pieces with a gold overlay.
Such pieces usually have very little melt value, and buyers often refuse them. On silver cutlery, numbers such as 90 or 100 indicate the grams of silver used to plate 24 square decimetres of surface. In other words, the cutlery is silver-plated, not solid.
No Hallmark: What Now?
If the hallmark is missing or worn, there are several ways to determine the fineness:
1. Magnet test: gold and silver are not magnetic. If a magnet attracts the piece, it has an iron core. Conversely, a non-magnetic piece is not proof of gold.
2. Touchstone test: the piece is rubbed on a testing stone, and the streak is treated with testing acids for different finenesses. Goldsmiths and buyers use this method, and it leaves hardly any trace.
3. X-ray fluorescence analysis: a device measures the surface composition in seconds without damaging the piece. Many buyers use such equipment.
Ask to see the result of any test before you sell. If a piece has no hallmark, use the lowest plausible fineness, such as 333, in the gold value calculator to be safe, and then compare with the test result.
Tips for Reading Small Hallmarks
Use a loupe with at least tenfold magnification and good, side-on light. Clean the piece gently beforehand with warm water and a soft cloth. Photograph the hallmark with your smartphone and zoom in. Note the hallmark and weight of each piece, so the whole collection can be entered in the calculator quickly.
More on calculating value and selling can be found in the guide Calculating Gold Value.