Free tool
What the marks inside your ring say
Most people own a hallmarked ring and have never been told what it says. It is a short, precise sentence about the metal, who made it and who tested it.
Fineness marks in full
| Mark | Metal | Purity | Commonly called |
|---|---|---|---|
| 375 | Gold | 37.5% | 9 carat |
| 585 | Gold | 58.5% | 14 carat |
| 750 | Gold | 75% | 18 carat |
| 916 | Gold | 91.6% | 22 carat |
| 999 | Gold | 99.9% | Fine gold |
| 925 | Silver | 92.5% | Sterling |
| 958 | Silver | 95.8% | Britannia |
| 950 | Platinum | 95% | Platinum |
| 500 | Palladium | 50% | Palladium |
| 950 | Palladium | 95% | Palladium |
950 appears for both platinum and palladium. The symbol beside it separates them: platinum uses an orb, palladium a Pallas head.
Hallmark questions
- What do the marks inside my ring mean?
- A UK hallmark has three compulsory parts: the sponsor's mark identifying who submitted it, the fineness mark giving the metal and its purity in parts per thousand, and the assay office mark saying which office tested it. A date letter is optional and tells you the year.
- What does 750 mean on a ring?
- 750 parts per thousand gold, which is 18 carat. 375 is 9ct, 585 is 14ct, 916 is 22ct, 925 is sterling silver and 950 is platinum or palladium.
- Which assay office marked my ring?
- An anchor is Birmingham, a leopard's head is London, a rose is Sheffield and a castle is Edinburgh. Those four are the offices still operating in the UK.
- Is an unmarked gold ring not real gold?
- Not necessarily. Gold under one gram and platinum under half a gram are exempt from UK hallmarking, and imported or antique pieces may carry foreign marks or none. It does mean nobody has independently tested it.
- Do titanium and zirconium rings have hallmarks?
- No, and they cannot. The Hallmarking Act covers gold, silver, platinum and palladium only. A hallmarked titanium ring does not exist, so anyone advertising one is describing something else.