HALLMARK READER

Gold and silver hallmark checker, every stamp explained

Type what is stamped, such as 750, 18K, 925, Pt950 or 1234 AR, and pick any picture mark beside it. For a British date letter, type the single letter and say how it looks.

Written by Anton K. · Updated October 2026

What is stamped (numbers and letters)

Type one stamp at a time. Leave it empty if there is only a picture.

Is there a picture mark beside it?

Only for a single UK date letter: how does it look?

Capital letter, before 2000 Small letter Capital letter, 2025 or later I'm not sure

The interactive checker needs JavaScript, but you do not need it: the UK date letter chart is below, and every other table on this page reads the same way.

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UK hallmark date letters since 1975 and the year each one indicates
Letter	capital letters	small letters	new capital letters
A	1975	2000	2025
B	1976	2001	2026
C	1977	2002	—
D	1978	2003	—
E	1979	2004	—
F	1980	2005	—
G	1981	2006	—
H	1982	2007	—
I	1983	—	—
J	—	2008	—
K	1984	2009	—
L	1985	2010	—
M	1986	2011	—
N	1987	2012	—
O	1988	2013	—
P	1989	2014	—
Q	1990	2015	—
R	1991	2016	—
S	1992	2017	—
T	1993	2018	—
U	1994	2019	—
V	1995	2020	—
W	1996	2021	—
X	1997	2022	—
Y	1998	2023	—
Z	1999	2024	—

The UK has used three runs of date letters since 1975, and some letters appear in more than one run. Capital letters ran from 1975 to 1999, small letters from 2000 to 2024, and new capitals began in 2025. Pick how the letter looks to narrow it to one year.

A hallmark is a row of small stamps that says what precious metal a piece claims to be, and often where and by whom it was marked. The number is the purity in parts per thousand: 750 is 18 karat gold, 585 is 14 karat, 375 is 9 karat, 925 is sterling silver and 950 is usually platinum. A karat stamp says the same in parts of 24, so 18K equals 750. Picture marks add the country: an eagle's head is French 18 karat gold, a leopard's head is the London assay office, and a star with a number and two letters is an Italian maker in that province. Letters such as GP, GF, HGE or RGP mean plated or filled, not solid gold. A hallmark does not prove the metal, because a stamp can be struck on anything.

A reading tells you what the stamp claims: the metal, the purity, and sometimes the country, the office and the year. It does not tell you what the metal really is. In the UK, France and Italy the marks are controlled by law, but a counterfeiter can still strike a copy, and in the US a karat or 925 stamp is put on by the maker, not tested by any office. A missing hallmark is not proof of a fake either. France does not require a mark on gold or platinum under 3 grams or on silver under 30 grams, and GOV.UK sets the UK limits at 1 gram for gold and 7.78 grams for silver. The only way to know the metal is a test, such as an acid test, an XRF reading or an assay office. The only way to know a branded piece is genuine is to have it authenticated.

Era	What the marking looks like	Example
Fineness number	Three digits: the purity in parts per thousand	`750`
Gold with its symbol	Au, then the gold fineness	`Au750`
Silver with its symbol	Ag, S or SV, then the silver fineness	`S925`
Platinum, symbol first	Pt or Plat, then the platinum fineness	`Pt900`
Platinum, number first	The platinum fineness, then Pt or Plat	`950Pt`
Palladium	Pd, then the palladium fineness	`Pd950`
Karat stamp	A number of karats, then K, KT or ct	`18K`
Karat stamp, K first	K, then the number of karats	`K18`
Karat and fineness together	A karat stamp and a fineness number on one piece	`18K 750`
Plated or filled stamp	GF, GP, GEP, HGE or RGP, often after a karat	`1/20 14K GF`
Vermeil	Vermeil, often with 925	`925 Vermeil`
Sterling in words	Sterling or Ster, alone or with 925	`925 Sterling`
Coin silver	Coin, alone or with 900	`Coin`
Pandora stamp, numbers only	ALE beside a bare number, such as ALE 925	`ALE 925`
Pandora stamp with a metal letter	ALE beside S or G and the fineness, such as ALE S925	`S925 ALE`
Tiffany & Co. name with the metal	Tiffany & Co. or T & Co., then the fineness	`T&Co. 925`
Elsa Peretti signature	The Elsa Peretti signature, usually beside Tiffany & Co. and the metal	`Elsa Peretti Tiffany & Co. 925`
Paloma Picasso signature	The Paloma Picasso signature, usually beside Tiffany & Co. and the metal	`Paloma Picasso Tiffany & Co. 925`
Schlumberger signature	The Schlumberger signature, usually beside Tiffany & Co. and the metal	`Schlumberger Tiffany & Co. 925`
Italian maker's mark	Inside a hexagon: a star, the maker's number and a two-letter province code	`1234 AR`
Italian maker's mark, letters first	The same mark read with the letters first	`AR 1234`
UK date letter	One letter in a shield. The letter, its case and its shield change every year	`small letter u = 2019`
Picture mark only	A symbol with no number typed	`eagle's head`

Compiled in-house from the UK assay offices, French customs, Italian Chambers of Commerce, the US Federal Trade Commission and the Japan Mint, each fact checked against a second source.

A full hallmark is a row of small marks, and each one answers a different question. The fineness number says what the metal is and how pure: 750 is 18 karat gold and 925 is sterling silver. A karat stamp such as 18K says the same thing in parts of 24. A metal symbol such as Au, Ag, Pt or Pd names the metal. A picture mark names the country, and in the UK the assay office that tested the piece. A UK date letter gives the year it was hallmarked. The maker's or sponsor's mark names who made or sent the piece. Plating marks such as GP, GF or HGE say the gold is only a layer. Every one of these is a claim. None of them is a test result you can check by eye.

Part	Example	What it tells you
Fineness number	750, 925, 950	The purity in parts per thousand, and which standard it meets
Karat stamp	18K, 14KT, 9ct, K18	The gold content in parts of 24. 18K is the same as 750
Karat and fineness	18K 750	Both on one piece. They must agree
Metal symbol	Au750, S925, Pt900, Pd950	The metal: Au gold, Ag or S silver, Pt platinum, Pd palladium
Picture mark	Eagle's head, leopard's head	The country, and often the metal or the office that tested it
Date letter	u (2019)	UK only. The year the piece was hallmarked
Maker's mark	Initials in a lozenge, or a star with 1234 AR	Who made the piece, or the maker's number and province in Italy. The province code names where the maker is registered, and the maker's number is its entry in that register
Plating mark	GP, GF, HGE, RGP, vermeil	The gold is a layer over another metal, not solid gold. The karat of the gold layer beside it, and any share of gold by weight such as 1/20, describe the layer only
Silver word	Sterling, Ster, Coin	US silver stamps: sterling is at least 925, coin silver at least 900

Fineness numbers the checker reads, the metal each is a standard for, and where
Number	Metal	Purity	Legal standard in
375	Gold	9 karat, 37.5%	UK, France, Italy, Convention
585	Gold	14 karat, 58.5%	UK, France, Italy, Convention
750	Gold	18 karat, 75%	UK, France, Italy, Convention
916	Gold	22 karat, about 91.6%	UK, France, Convention
999	Gold, silver, platinum or palladium	99.9%	UK, France, Convention
800	Silver	80%	UK, France, Italy, Convention
925	Silver	Sterling, 92.5%	UK, France, Italy, Convention, US minimum for sterling
958	Silver	Britannia, 95.8%	UK
850	Platinum	85%	UK, France, Italy, Convention
900	Platinum (or US coin silver)	90%	UK, France, Italy, Japan, Convention
950	Platinum or palladium	95%	UK, France, Italy, Convention
500	Palladium	50%	UK, Italy, Convention
999.9	Usually gold bullion	99.99%, four nines fine	A bullion grade, not a jewelry standard

Karat stamps and the fineness number that matches each
Karat stamp	Gold content	Same as
9K or 9ct	9 parts in 24, 37.5%	375
10K	10 parts in 24, about 41.7%	No common number
14K or K14	14 parts in 24, 58.5%	585
18K or K18	18 parts in 24, 75%	750
22K or K22	22 parts in 24, about 91.6%	916
24K or K24	Fine gold	999

Plated and filled stamps. None of these is solid gold
Plating mark	Means	US minimum
GF, 1/20 14K GF	Gold filled: karat gold bonded to a base metal	Gold is at least 1/20 of the weight
RGP, 1/40 12K RGP	Rolled gold plate: a thinner bonded layer	The fraction must be stamped
GP, 18K GP, K18GP	Gold plated	No thickness unless GEP or HGE
GEP, GE	Gold electroplate	0.175 microns of fine gold
HGE, HGP	Heavy gold electroplate	2.5 microns of fine gold
Vermeil	Gold over sterling silver	10 karat gold, 2.5 microns

Picture marks the checker reads
Picture mark	Country	What it tells you
leopard's head	UK	The London assay office mark. The piece was tested and hallmarked in London.
anchor	UK	The Birmingham assay office mark. The piece was tested and hallmarked in Birmingham.
rose	UK	The Sheffield assay office mark, used since 1975. The piece was tested and hallmarked in Sheffield.
castle	UK	The Edinburgh assay office mark. The piece was tested and hallmarked in Edinburgh.
lion walking	UK	The lion passant, the traditional UK mark for sterling silver (925). It is optional and sits beside the 925 number.
Britannia	UK	The seated Britannia, the traditional UK mark for Britannia silver (958). It is optional.
crown	UK	The traditional UK mark for gold, struck beside the gold fineness. It is optional. Before 1975 a crown was also Sheffield's office mark, which is why Sheffield changed to a rose.
orb	UK	The traditional UK mark for 950 platinum. It is optional.
eagle's head	France	The French state mark for gold. On its own, which is how it appears on most jewelry, it guarantees 18 karat (750). Inside a hexagon with the number 3 it also means 750, and with the number 1 it means 22 karat (916).
owl	France	The French mark for second-hand gold of foreign or uncertain origin. It guarantees at least 750 (18 karat).
scallop shell	France	The French mark for 14 karat gold (585), on new and second-hand pieces.
three-leaf clover	France	The French mark for 9 karat gold (375), on new and second-hand pieces.
seahorse	France	The French mark for fine gold (999). It is found mainly on bars.
Minerva head	France	The French state mark for silver. With the number 1 it guarantees 925, and with the number 2 or on its own it guarantees 800.
swan	France	The French mark for second-hand silver of foreign or uncertain origin.
dog's head	France	The French state mark for platinum. With the number 1 it guarantees 950, with a 2 it guarantees 900, and with a 3 or on its own at least 850.
mascaron (bearded face)	France	The French mark for second-hand platinum. It guarantees at least 850.
initials in a lozenge	France	The French maker's mark (poinçon de maître): the initials and symbol of the maker or the company responsible, inside a diamond shape. It names who made the piece, not what metal it is.
initials in a square	France	A French maker's mark for PLATED pieces. French law uses a square instead of a lozenge for plated work, so this marks a piece that is plated, not solid gold or silver.
Star in a hexagon	Italy	The Italian maker's identification mark: a five-pointed star, the maker's registration number and the two-letter province code, inside a flattened hexagon. Type the number and the two letters to read the province.
Balance scales (CCM)	Convention countries	The Common Control Mark of the Hallmarking Convention. An assay office in one of the 22 member countries tested the piece. It sits beside the fineness number, an assay office mark and a sponsor's mark.
Japanese flag and diamond	Japan	The Japan Mint hallmark: the national flag beside the fineness in parts per thousand inside a diamond. It is optional, so most genuine Japanese pieces do not carry it, and K18 or Pt900 on their own are maker stamps, not Mint marks.

Brand stamps: what a few houses' marks say about when a piece was made. Stamps are copied, so these tell you what to expect, not that a piece is real
Brand	Stamp or logo	What it tells you
Pandora	ALE 925, ALE 585, ALE 750	ALE is Pandora's maker's mark. Numbers with no letter: a different style, date not read here
Pandora	ALE S925, ALE G585, ALE G750	S for silver, G for gold: Pandora's current style
Tiffany & Co.	Return to Tiffany tag with an engraved number	The registry number style Tiffany began in the late 1960s, and brought back briefly for Holiday 2000
Tiffany & Co.	Return to Tiffany tag with 925 and no number	The sterling silver line Tiffany introduced in 1997
Tiffany & Co.	Jean Schlumberger signature	Made in 1956 or later, when Schlumberger joined Tiffany
Tiffany & Co.	Elsa Peretti signature	Made in 1974 or later, when Peretti joined Tiffany
Tiffany & Co.	Paloma Picasso signature	Made in 1980 or later, when her first Tiffany collection launched
Swarovski	Edelweiss flower logo	The company logo until the swan replaced it in 1988 or 1989
Swarovski	Swan logo	1988 or 1989 until the 2021 redesign
Swarovski	New swan, head turned, often in an octagon	2021 or later

Italian province codes, the two letters after the maker's number (106 codes)
Code	Province	Code	Province
AG	Agrigento	MN	Mantua
AL	Alessandria	MO	Modena
AN	Ancona	MS	Massa-Carrara
AO	Aosta	MT	Matera
AP	Ascoli Piceno	NA	Naples
AQ	L'Aquila	NO	Novara
AR	Arezzo	NU	Nuoro
AT	Asti	OR	Oristano
AV	Avellino	PA	Palermo
BA	Bari	PC	Piacenza
BG	Bergamo	PD	Padua
BI	Biella	PE	Pescara
BL	Belluno	PG	Perugia
BN	Benevento	PI	Pisa
BO	Bologna	PN	Pordenone
BR	Brindisi	PO	Prato
BS	Brescia	PR	Parma
BT	Barletta-Andria-Trani	PT	Pistoia
BZ	Bolzano	PU	Pesaro and Urbino
CA	Cagliari	PV	Pavia
CB	Campobasso	PZ	Potenza
CE	Caserta	RA	Ravenna
CH	Chieti	RC	Reggio Calabria
CL	Caltanissetta	RE	Reggio Emilia
CN	Cuneo	RG	Ragusa
CO	Como	RI	Rieti
CR	Cremona	RM	Rome
CS	Cosenza	RN	Rimini
CT	Catania	RO	Rovigo
CZ	Catanzaro	SA	Salerno
EN	Enna	SI	Siena
FC	Forlì-Cesena	SO	Sondrio
FE	Ferrara	SP	La Spezia
FG	Foggia	SR	Syracuse
FI	Florence	SS	Sassari
FM	Fermo	SV	Savona
FR	Frosinone	TA	Taranto
GE	Genoa	TE	Teramo
GO	Gorizia	TN	Trento
GR	Grosseto	TO	Turin
IM	Imperia	TP	Trapani
IS	Isernia	TR	Terni
KR	Crotone	TS	Trieste
LC	Lecco	TV	Treviso
LE	Lecce	UD	Udine
LI	Livorno	VA	Varese
LO	Lodi	VB	Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
LT	Latina	VC	Vercelli
LU	Lucca	VE	Venice
MB	Monza and Brianza	VI	Vicenza
MC	Macerata	VR	Verona
ME	Messina	VT	Viterbo
MI	Milan	VV	Vibo Valentia

Jewelry

Inside a ring band, on the clasp of a necklace or bracelet or the small tag beside it, on the back of a pendant or an earring, and on a watch case back.

French rules put the state mark next to the maker's mark in a visible spot, and on a chain on the end ring or the clasp. Hallmarks are tiny, often under a millimeter tall, so a loupe or a phone's zoom helps. Wear softens them, which is why a worn stamp is not a bad sign on its own.

Close-up inside a gold bracelet: the fineness number 750 stamped beside the size, 17

Several ordinary reasons, none of them a sign of a fake. Type one stamp at a time: 750, then the maker's mark, rather than the whole row. A brand name or logo, such as a signature or a copyright year, is not a hallmark. Worn stamps are hard to read, and 5 and 6, 8 and 3, or 1 and 7 are easy to mix up. Our tables cover the UK, France, Italy, the Hallmarking Convention, the US and Japan. Marks from other countries, UK date letters from before 1975, and Italian province codes that have since been retired are not in them yet. If a piece carries no hallmark at all, that can be legal too, because light pieces are exempt in both the UK and France.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Hallmark checker questions

The things people ask about Hallmark hallmarks, answered from the sources this page is built on.

What does 750 mean on gold?

750 is the fineness in parts per thousand: 750 parts of pure gold in 1,000, which is 18 karat gold, 75% gold. It is the most common stamp on luxury gold jewelry, often written Au750, and a legal gold standard in the UK, France and Italy. It tells you what the piece claims to be. It does not prove the gold is real, because a 750 stamp can be struck on plated or base metal.

Is 18K the same as 750?

Yes. Karat counts parts of gold in 24, and 18 parts in 24 is 75%, which is 750 parts per thousand. In the same way 14K is 585, 9K is 375, 22K is 916 and 24K is 999. Some pieces carry both stamps. They must agree, so 18K beside 585 deserves a closer look.

What does 925 mean on jewelry?

925 means sterling silver, 925 parts of silver in 1,000. It may also appear as Sterling, Ster, S925, SV925 or beside the UK lion. On a gold-colored piece, 925 means the metal underneath is silver, so the gold color is plating or vermeil, not solid gold.

Does a hallmark prove my jewelry is real?

No. A hallmark tells you what the metal claims to be. In the UK, France and Italy the marks are controlled by law, but a counterfeit can carry a struck copy, and in the US a karat or 925 stamp is applied by the maker with no outside test. The metal can only be confirmed by a test, such as an acid test, an XRF reading or an assay office, and a branded piece by an authentication.

What do GP, GF, HGE and RGP mean?

They mean the gold is a layer, not the whole piece. GP is gold plated. GEP is gold electroplate, at least 0.175 microns of fine gold under US rules. HGE is heavy gold electroplate, at least 2.5 microns. GF is gold filled, with the gold at least 1/20 of the weight. RGP is rolled gold plate, a thinner bonded layer. 18K GP means plated with 18 karat gold, not 18 karat gold jewelry.

How do I read a UK date letter?

Since 1975 all four UK assay offices have used the same letter each year, changing it on 1 January. Capital letters ran from A in 1975 to Z in 1999 with no J. Small letters ran from 2000 (a) to 2024 (z) with no i, so j is 2008 and u is 2019. A new run of capitals began with A in 2025, and 2026 is B. Type the letter above and say how it looks. The date letter has been optional since 1999, so a modern piece without one is normal.

What is the eagle's head on French gold?

It is the French state guarantee mark for 18 karat gold, 750. You will find it on French-made pieces and many pieces sold in France, usually beside the maker's mark in a lozenge. France also uses an owl for second-hand gold of foreign or uncertain origin, a scallop shell for 14 karat and a three-leaf clover for 9 karat. Gold pieces under 3 grams may carry no mark at all.

How do I read an Italian mark like 1234 AR?

It is the maker's identification mark: a five-pointed star, the maker's registration number and the two-letter province code, inside a flattened hexagon. 1234 AR is maker 1234 registered in Arezzo, and VI is Vicenza. The register is kept by that province's Chamber of Commerce, which can tell you whose mark it is. The fineness, such as 750, is stamped beside it.

Can this check Indian BIS hallmarks or HUID numbers?

No. This checker reads UK, French, Italian, Convention, US and Japanese marks. It does not read India's BIS hallmark or HUID numbers.

Can a brand's stamp tell me when a piece was made?

Sometimes, within limits. A Tiffany designer signature sets the earliest year: Schlumberger 1956, Elsa Peretti 1974, Paloma Picasso 1980. A Return to Tiffany tag with 925 and no registry number belongs to the silver line from 1997. Swarovski's swan logo replaced the edelweiss in 1988 or 1989 and was redesigned in 2021. These tell you what to expect. They do not prove a piece is real, because counterfeiters copy stamps too.

Still not sure? Ask the authenticators The people who read these markings for a living, and who will check your item

Gold and silver hallmark checker, every stamp explained

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What a hallmark actually tells you

Stamps and marks stamp by stamp

How to read a hallmark, part by part

Where the hallmark sits on your jewelry

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