If you have inherited jewellery and are trying to work out what it is worth, the hallmarks are the place to start.
These tiny stamps tell you the purity of the metal and sometimes where and when a piece was made. For plain gold and silver, which make up most of a typical jewellery box, they supply most of what a jewellery probate valuation needs.
Reading them is simpler than it looks. You need no special equipment, and most rings, chains and bangles carry only a few straightforward marks.
Where to Find the Hallmark on Jewellery
Hallmarks are small, but they sit in predictable places and take only a moment to check.
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Rings. Look on the inside of the shank. This is the standard position for gold, silver and platinum marks.
Chains and necklaces. Check the clasp, or the small tag or jump ring beside it. Heavier chains and watch chains sometimes carry marks on individual links as well.
Bracelets. As with chains, the mark is usually on or next to the fastening.
Earrings. Look at the post or the butterfly back. Smaller earrings may carry only a single number.
Bangles, pendants and brooches. Turn the piece over and look along the inner edge or near the fastening, where the mark can be quite discreet.
Only look for hallmarks on pieces that feel like solid precious metal. Very light, hollow or decorative items often carry none, and that is not unusual.
What Does a Hallmark Look Like?
To the naked eye, a hallmark can look like a small scratch, a row of dots or a slight blemish on the metal.
Up close it is a short line of tiny stamped impressions, often three to five in a row. Some are symbols, such as a crown, a lion or a letter. For probate, the part that matters most is the number.
If you cannot read it, open your phone’s camera, rest the jewellery on a flat surface, zoom in and take a close-up. That usually makes the number clear enough for a valuer to read.
Recording Hallmark Details for a Probate Valuation
Once you have found the mark, write down or photograph what you see. None of it needs to be technical.
The fineness number. This is the most important detail: a number such as 375, 585, 750, 916, 925 or 950. If the piece shows a carat stamp instead, such as “9ct” or “18ct”, note that.
A clear photograph. A close, well-lit photo of the hallmark is often more reliable than copying the numbers by hand.
Any other marks. Symbols, initials or letters beside the number can help date or attribute a piece, so include them.
The weight, if you can. Ordinary kitchen scales that read in grams are accurate enough, and weight matters most for heavier chains, bangles and rings. If you cannot weigh a piece, the hallmark alone is still useful.
At this stage you are only gathering information. Interpreting it comes next.
Common UK Gold Hallmarks
The fineness number on gold shows how many parts per thousand are pure gold. Since 1975, British-hallmarked gold has used these standards:
- 375: 9ct gold, 37.5% pure. By some distance the commonest mark in British jewellery boxes, found on chains, signet rings, lockets and everyday pieces.
- 585: 14ct gold, 58.5% pure. Less usual on British-made jewellery and more often seen on continental or American pieces.
- 750: 18ct gold, 75% pure. The usual standard for engagement rings and better-quality jewellery, in yellow, white and rose gold.
- 916: 22ct gold, 91.6% pure. Traditional British wedding rings and much Indian and Middle Eastern jewellery.
- 990 and 999: gold of 99% and 99.9% purity (999 is 24ct). Rare in jewellery and more often seen on bullion.
On British gold hallmarked from 1975, the fineness number is usually accompanied by a crown. The crown became optional in 1999, so newer pieces may show the number alone.
Older pieces use a different system. Before 1975, 22ct and 18ct gold was marked with a crown and the carat figure. Lower standards carried the carat figure alongside the decimal proportion of gold, so “9 .375” on a vintage chain means 9ct, and “15 .625” means 15ct.
The 15ct and 12ct standards were abolished in 1932, and 14ct, marked “14 .585”, took their place. A 15ct piece is therefore likely to date from before the 1930s, which can be useful when an executor is trying to separate period jewellery from later work.
Some marks mean the piece is not solid gold at all:
- RGP, “rolled gold” and GF, sometimes with a fraction such as “1/20 12K”, indicate a thin layer of gold bonded to base metal.
- GP and HGE indicate gold plate.
- “9ct back and front”, common on lockets and bangles, means two thin sheets of 9ct gold over a base-metal core, worth a small fraction of the same piece in solid gold.
For a plain gold piece without significant stones, the probate value is largely the weight multiplied by the gold content and the gold price on the date of death, not the price on the day you do the sums. We explain why that date matters in our guide to common jewellery probate mistakes.
Silver and Platinum Hallmarks
The same principle applies to other metals. The commonest silver marks are 925 for sterling silver and 958 for the higher Britannia standard; 800 is a lower continental standard, recognised in the UK since 1999.
Platinum is usually marked 950. Palladium, hallmarked in the UK only since 2010, is usually 950 or 500.
Each metal also has a traditional symbol, optional since 1999 but common on older pieces:
- Gold: a crown
- Sterling silver: a walking lion
- Britannia silver: a seated figure of Britannia
- Platinum: an orb
- Palladium: the head of the Greek goddess Pallas Athene
What UK Hallmarks Mean: Assay Office, Sponsor’s Mark and Date Letter
A full UK hallmark has three compulsory parts: the sponsor’s mark, the fineness mark and the assay office mark. A date letter may also appear, but it has been optional since 1999. The British Hallmarking Council’s guidance notes set out the current requirements in full.
None of the extra marks is essential for a probate figure, but they can help date a piece or confirm where it came from.
The assay office mark shows which office tested the metal. The four current offices are:
- London: a leopard’s head
- Birmingham: an anchor
- Sheffield: a rose (a crown before 1975)
- Edinburgh: a castle
Older pieces may carry marks from offices that have since closed, including Chester and Glasgow.
The sponsor’s mark, often called the maker’s mark, identifies the person or company that submitted the piece for hallmarking. It usually consists of initials in a shaped surround. Most families will never need it, but it can help a specialist attribute older or unusual pieces to a particular workshop.
The date letter records the year of hallmarking. Before 1975, each assay office ran its own cycle of letters, and the style of the letter and the shape of its shield identify the year. Since 1975, all four offices have used the same letter each year. When present, it can show whether a piece is Victorian, Edwardian, mid-century or modern, which matters for buyers of antique jewellery.
Foreign Hallmarks
Jewellery bought abroad often follows different conventions.
European gold commonly carries fineness numbers such as 750, 585 or 375 without a UK assay office mark, sometimes within differently shaped frames.
Indian and Middle Eastern gold is often stamped with a simple purity number such as 916 (22ct), occasionally with local script alongside.
The UK is a member of the Hallmarking Convention, so a piece bearing the Convention’s common control mark is recognised here as though it had been hallmarked in Britain.
Foreign marks are perfectly legitimate, but unfamiliar or worn ones may need testing to confirm the metal.
What If There Is No Hallmark?
A missing hallmark does not mean a piece is not gold or silver. There are several common explanations.
It is below the weight threshold. Under the Hallmarking Act 1973, items weighing less than 1g of gold, 7.78g of silver, 0.5g of platinum or 1g of palladium do not have to be hallmarked.
It predates the current rules. Before the Act came into force in 1975, a good deal of jewellery was legally sold without full marks.
It has been altered. Rings that have been resized, reshaped or repaired can lose their hallmarks in the process.
It was bought abroad. Pieces brought back from holidays often carry foreign marks or none at all.
Any unmarked piece of apparent substance should be tested, because its value depends entirely on what it turns out to be.
Probate Value vs Retail or Insurance Value
Hallmarks establish what a piece is made of. They do not establish what it is worth for probate, and that is where many estates go wrong.
Probate value is the open market price at the date of death: what the piece would reasonably sell for second-hand, not what it cost and not what it would cost to replace. Retail and insurance figures are almost always higher. We explain the difference in probate vs insurance jewellery valuations.
Our national survey showed how easily the gap is missed. When participants were shown a diamond ring bought for £6,250 with a probate value of around £1,250, more than 90% overestimated it.
A hallmark also says nothing about the quality of a diamond, the identity of a coloured stone or the condition of a setting, and those can matter far more than the metal (see what jewellery is actually valuable for probate). A hallmark provides the foundation. A valuer provides the context.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 375 mean on a ring?
It means 9ct gold, which is 37.5% pure gold.
What does 9 .375 mean?
It is the older form of the 9ct mark, used before 1975. It means the same as 375.
Is 750 gold real?
Yes. 750 is 18ct gold, 75% pure, and a higher standard than 9ct or 14ct.
Are hallmarks required in the UK?
Gold, silver, platinum and palladium items above the legal weight thresholds must be hallmarked before they can be sold or described as precious metal. Lighter items are exempt.
Do diamonds have hallmarks?
No. Hallmarks apply only to metal. Diamonds and gemstones are assessed separately.
What if my ring has no hallmark?
It may still be gold or platinum. Older, lighter or altered rings often lack marks, and testing will confirm the metal.
Does hallmark purity affect probate value?
Yes, because it determines how much precious metal a piece contains. On stone-set pieces, though, the gemstones and condition often matter more.
What is the difference between carat for gold and carat for diamonds?
For gold, carat measures purity, such as 9ct or 18ct. For diamonds, it measures weight: one carat is 0.2 grams.
Can you identify a ring’s maker from the hallmark?
Sometimes. The sponsor’s mark identifies who submitted the piece for hallmarking, although it is rarely needed for probate.
Do older hallmarks mean jewellery is more valuable?
Not necessarily. Age can add desirability in the antique market, but purity, stones and condition usually have more effect.
Why are some hallmarks worn or incomplete?
Marks fade through wear, resizing and repair, particularly on rings worn every day for decades.
Can foreign hallmarks be used for probate?
Yes. Foreign-marked items can be valued for probate, though unfamiliar or incomplete marks may need testing.
Need Jewellery Valued for Probate?
If you have photographed the hallmarks and weighed what you can, you already have most of what we need. Our online jewellery probate valuations cost £49 for up to five items and £99 for six or more. Upload your photographs, hallmarks included, and our qualified gemmologists will prepare a report for submission with the IHT407.