What Do the Diamond Symbols Stamped on Jewelry Mean?

You’ll likely notice something if you’re buying a gold plated ring, diamond jewelry, or any jewelry that incorporates precious metals or gemstones (or even cubic zirconia). Look your jewelry over long enough, and you’ll come across symbols stamped into the metal, often in an inconspicuous place, like inside a ring or on a necklace clasp.

So what do identification diamond symbols stamped on jewelry mean? Are they worth your attention?

Here’s a diamond markings guide to explain what these tiny little marks on your engagement ring or other fine jewelry can tell you.

Interpreting the Symbols on a Diamond Ring (or Other Diamond Jewelry)

You may notice a few different markings if you’re looking at a diamond ring or other jewelry.

You might see the outline of a diamond shape or diamond symbols stamped on jewelry meaning the piece’s design incorporates a gemstone. Don’t worry if you see this shape and there’s not a diamond anywhere in the piece currently. The symbol indicates that any precious stone, including authentic diamonds, is in the piece.

Look out for more common diamond symbols stamped on jewelry to learn more about your piece. If you see marks stamped inside your ring that read, “CZ,” the ring features a cubic zirconia stone (not a diamond). If the stamp mark says “SOL,” the diamond used in creating the piece was a solitaire diamond center stone. “CW” stands for “carat weight” and is followed by a series of numbers that coincide with that weight.

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Precious Metal Stamps on Your Diamond Jewelry

However, you might find many different stamps on any given diamond piece, going far beyond the basic diamond shape stamp on jewelry pieces that contain gemstones. Whether looking at diamond engagement rings or any other kind of diamond jewelry, you’ll likely notice other jewelry stamps that tell you about the precious metals used to make the piece.

Silver Stamp Marks

If your diamond ring features a silver band, you can look out for these metal identification stamps to learn more about the silver used in the ring’s design.
“925” or “S Silver” means the band contains sterling silver. If you don’t see this mark, it likely means you have a piece of silver plated jewelry, not sterling silver jewelry.
Any number higher than 925 also means the band contains sterling silver.

Gold Stamp Marks

Similarly, if your band consists of yellow gold or white gold, you can find similar metal identification stamps, including:
“GF”: This means the band is gold filled.
“KP” or “P”: This indicator references plumb gold or pure gold and verifies that the karat weight stamped on the piece is 100% pure gold.
A karat stamp number between 9K and 24K tells you what karat gold you’re dealing with, from 9 to 24 karats. You may also see other numbers that indicate the same, including “.417,” which means 10 karats; “.585,” which indicates 14 karats; “.750,” which indicates 18 karats; or “.999,” which indicates 24 karats.
“GE”: This stands for “gold electroplated.”
“HGE”: This stands for “heavy gold electroplated.”

Other Common Jewelry Marks Stamped on Diamond Jewelry

But beyond diamond markings on jewelry and a ring stamp that tells you the band’s metal, there are so many other jewelry hallmarks and similar stamps that you might find on any piece of jewelry.

These include:

• Stamps that indicate the piece is custom jewelry
• Stamps that identify the maker or designer
• Stamps that indicate a patent
• Stamps that show a diamond’s grading according to its quality, cut, carat weight, and other factors
• Stamps that show a ring’s size

Diamond Marks on Jewelry: FAQs

Have more questions? We’ve got answers.

Are jewelry stamps always right?

No! Unfortunately, jewelry stamps can be fraudulent, tampered with, or even inadvertently incorrect. While you might want to rely on jewelry stamps to determine the total diamond weight of a piece, all other metals within the piece, and whether it includes natural diamonds or lab grown diamonds, the only way to be sure of details like these is to take the jewelry for inspection by a legitimate, qualified jeweler.

Can I test for a precious metal without looking at a marking?

Plenty of DIY methods exist to test precious metals and gemstones, like the float test for fake diamonds (a fake diamond floats, a real diamond sinks) and pure gold (again, the fake stuff floats, the real stuff sinks). However, DIY methods aren’t the most reliable. The most reliable method of determining your unmarked piece of jewelry’s internal makeup is to go to a reputable jeweler.

Do precious metals other than gold and silver have their own markings?

Yes! Platinum, for example, is signified with “PT,” “PLAT,” “900,” or “950.” Stainless steel can contain “SS,” “St. Steel,” or “Steel.” “PD” stands for “Palladium.”

Have jewelry stamps stayed the same throughout the years?

Not always. Jewelry stamps can differ according to the year of creation or country of origin. This makes it even more challenging to analyze heirloom jewelry on your own.

Interpreting a Diamond Shaped Stamp on Jewelry Can Be Difficult — Finding Diamond Insurance, on the Other Hand, is Easy

We’ve barely scratched the surface of all the stamps you could find on your jewelry and what they could mean. While cursory knowledge of jewelry stamps can be helpful while shopping, your best bet is to leave interpreting these industry-standard stamps to the professionals and simply work with a qualified jeweler, you trust.

Luckily, buying diamond insurance — or any jewelry insurance, for that matter — doesn’t have to be as complicated or as opaque as interpreting the various symbols stamped into your jewelry. Head to BriteCo and request a free, quick, online quote and then get comprehensive jewelry coverage in minutes.

Also Check: What is Jewelry Stamping? | BriteCo Jewelry Insurance

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