Jewelry Stamp Abbreviations: The Complete List
Nearly every stamp you will find on jewelry falls into one of five groups: silver fineness, gold fineness, plated or filled construction, platinum-group metals, and everything else. The table below decodes the 30+ most common stamps and what each one implies about metal content and value. Bookmark it — the same abbreviations turn up on rings, chains, flatware, and watch cases.
Jewelry stamp abbreviations at a glance
Common stamps found on rings, chains, flatware, and watch cases, grouped by metal family. The third column tells you what the stamp implies about composition and value.
| Stamp | Meaning | Metal & value implication |
|---|---|---|
| 925 | Sterling silver, 92.5% pure | Solid silver; the worldwide sterling standard |
| S925 | Sterling silver (Asian-market styling) | Solid silver, same standard as 925 |
| STERLING | Sterling silver, spelled out | Solid silver; common on American pieces |
| STER | Abbreviation of sterling | Solid silver, 92.5% pure |
| 958 | Britannia silver, 95.8% pure | Solid silver, higher purity than sterling; mostly British |
| 900 | Coin silver, 90% pure | Solid silver; typical of 19th-century American pieces |
| 800 | Continental silver, 80% pure | Solid silver, lower grade; German, Italian, and other European work |
| 999 | Fine silver, 99.9% pure | Essentially pure silver; soft, often bullion or Asian jewelry |
| 925 Italy | Sterling silver made in Italy | Solid silver; standard on Italian chains — the country is an origin mark, not a purity change |
| 999 / 24K | Pure gold | Solid gold, 99.9%; too soft for most jewelry, common in Asia |
| 916 / 22K | 22 karat gold, 91.6% pure | Solid high-purity gold; Indian and Middle Eastern jewelry |
| 750 / 18K | 18 karat gold, 75% pure | Solid gold; the standard for fine European jewelry |
| 585 / 14K | 14 karat gold, 58.5% pure | Solid gold; the most common US standard |
| 583 | Soviet-era 14 karat gold, 58.3% | Solid gold; Russian and Eastern European pieces |
| 417 / 10K | 10 karat gold, 41.7% pure | Solid gold; the US legal minimum to be sold as gold |
| 375 / 9K | 9 karat gold, 37.5% pure | Solid gold; British and Australian standard |
| KP (e.g. 14KP) | Karat plumb — exact karat, not plated | Solid gold guaranteed at or above the stated purity |
| GP | Gold plated | Base metal with a thin gold layer; little metal value |
| GEP / GE | Gold electroplated | Base metal, electroplated gold layer; little metal value |
| HGE | Heavy gold electroplate | Thicker plating than GE, still not solid gold |
| GF | Gold filled | Gold layer mechanically bonded to base metal; more durable than plating, modest value |
| 1/20 12K GF | Gold filled — layer is 1/20 of weight, 12K | The fraction states how much of the total weight is gold |
| RGP | Rolled gold plate | Thin gold sheet bonded to base metal; common on vintage watch cases |
| VERMEIL | Gold plating over sterling silver | Solid silver core with a gold surface; worth its silver weight |
| EPNS | Electroplated nickel silver | No silver content beneath the plating; common on flatware |
| EPBM | Electroplated Britannia metal | Silver-plated pewter-type alloy; low intrinsic value |
| A1 | Top plating grade (with EPNS or alone) | A quality claim about plating thickness, not a silver mark |
| SILVER PLATE | Silver plating, spelled out | Base metal with silver surface; not sterling |
| PT950 / PLAT | Platinum, 95% pure | Solid platinum; the standard for platinum rings |
| PT900 | Platinum, 90% pure | Solid platinum; American and Japanese pieces |
| PD950 | Palladium, 95% pure | Solid palladium; lighter and cheaper than platinum |
| PD500 | Palladium, 50% pure | Half palladium by weight; UK-recognized standard |
| NS | Nickel silver (German silver) | Contains no silver at all — a nickel-copper-zinc alloy |
| CZ | Cubic zirconia | Refers to the stone, not the metal; a synthetic diamond simulant |
How to read combined stamps
Stamps rarely appear alone. Reading a sequence is a matter of splitting it into its parts:
- 925 Italy — purity plus origin. The metal claim is 925 (sterling silver); Italy names the country of manufacture. See our full page on 925 Italy on a chain.
- 1/20 12K GF — a gold-filled formula: the gold layer is 1/20th of the item’s weight, and that layer is 12 karat gold. Details on the GF stamp page.
- 14K GP — the karat describes the plating, not the piece. It is base metal plated with 14 karat gold. See GP on jewelry.
- EPNS A1 — electroplated nickel silver, with A1 as the maker’s claim of top plating grade. Neither part indicates solid silver; see EPNS and A1.
- PT950 with a maker’s mark — platinum fineness plus the manufacturer’s initials. Initials in a shaped outline are almost always the maker, not a metal claim.
The general rule: numbers state purity, letter codes state construction or metal family, and anything else (initials, country names, symbols) is origin or maker information.
When there is no stamp at all
An unmarked piece is not automatically worthless. Stamping only became legally standardized in the early 20th century, so genuine antique gold and silver is often unmarked. Stamps also wear away on thin bands, and resizing can remove the stamped section entirely.
That said, absence of a stamp removes the benefit of the doubt. Modern mass-produced jewelry without a fineness mark is usually costume jewelry. If the weight, color, and wear pattern suggest precious metal, a jeweler can run a non-destructive XRF scan and settle it in seconds.
Look up a specific stamp
Every stamp in the table has its own page with photos, common variations, and misconception notes:
- 925
- S925
- STERLING
- 958
- 800
- 999
- 925 Italy
- 916
- 750
- 585
- 583
- 417
- 375
- 10K
- 14K
- 18K
- KP
- GP
- GE / GEP
- HGE
- GF
- RGP
- VERMEIL
- EPNS
- EPBM
- A1
- PT950
- PLAT
- PD500
- NS / nickel silver
- CZ
If your stamp is not listed here, it may be a maker’s mark or a national hallmark symbol rather than an abbreviation — our guide to reading hallmarks on an old ring covers those.
Frequently asked questions
What does 925 Italy mean on a chain?
It is two marks in one: 925 states the metal is sterling silver (92.5% pure), and Italy states the country of manufacture. Italy is a major producer of silver chain, so the combination is very common and legitimate. The word Italy does not change the purity claim. Note that the stamp itself is not proof — counterfeit chains stamped 925 Italy exist, so weight, clasp quality, and a professional test still matter for expensive pieces.
What does 1/20 12K GF mean?
It is a gold-filled specification read in three parts: the gold layer makes up 1/20th (5%) of the item's total weight, that layer is 12 karat gold, and GF confirms the gold-filled construction — a gold sheet mechanically bonded to a base metal core. Gold filled carries far more gold than electroplating, so it wears better, but the piece is still mostly base metal and its melt value is small.
My jewelry has no stamp at all — what does that mean?
Absence of a stamp does not prove the piece is worthless, but it removes the presumption of precious metal. Possible explanations: the piece is costume jewelry; it predates stamping laws (common before the early 1900s); the stamp wore away or was polished off; or the piece was resized and the stamped section removed. Handmade and antique pieces are often unmarked. If the piece looks or feels like solid gold or silver, an XRF test at a jeweler settles the question in seconds without damage.
Does a KP stamp like 14KP mean the gold is plated?
No — it means the opposite. KP stands for karat plumb, an American designation meaning the gold is exactly (or above) the stated karat, with no rounding down. A 14KP piece is solid 14 karat gold, guaranteed at 58.5% purity or better. The plating stamps to watch for are GP, GEP, GE, HGE, and RGP. The similarity between 'plumb' and 'plated' causes frequent confusion in listings and estate descriptions.
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