Many wonder. What does a 925 mark mean when stamped on jewelry?
Like many jewelry markings, the 925 stamp is something which those outside of jeweler circles may find mystifying.
While the answer is simple, the history behind it is much more fascinating.
If you’re curious, then read on. We will answer the question – what does a 925 mark mean when stamped on jewelry? Then we’ll give you a breakdown of the history behind the 925 hallmark.
So, what does a 925 mark mean when stamped on jewelry?
The 925 stamp indicates that the piece of jewelry you’re holding has been created with sterling silver.
Sterling silver is an alloy that is made of 92.5% actual silver, with the rest of the metal made up of base metals like copper.
The reason behind this alloy is that it’s much harder than the 99.9% required for “fine” silver, which makes it better for practical objects. Jewelry can also benefit, particularly rings and bracelets which are more often exposed to getting dented or scratched than pendants or earrings.
The vast majority of sterling silver contains copper as the alloying material. That said, there are plenty of other additives that see use but still meet the sterling standard.
Still, in the bulk of cases, the 925 stamp indicates what you’re holding is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper by weight. In order for a silver to be classified as sterling silver, it must meet at least a 92.5 purity, AKA 925. So, as you can see: 925 silver is the same thing as sterling silver.
Sterling silver allows for easy working, while still maintaining the majority of white shine that typifies the precious metal.
What Do Other Stamps Mean?
For the most part, it’s relatively easy to figure out the meaning of a mark.
While many of the European nations have their own stamps, numbers are becoming more common to indicate purity in the interest of international trade.
Usually, you can simply add a decimal beforehand in order to figure out what the numbered stamp means. A 999 stamp would, for instance, indicate that the metal was fine silver instead of sterling.
CHART 1: What does a 925 mark mean when stamped on jewelry? This chart shows common marks for Silver, Gold, Platinum and Palladium. Markings may differ, depending on which country the jewellery originates from. For example in the USA gold is typically stamped 10K (or 10kt), 14K, 18K or 22K. Gold plated jewelry is commonly stamped GP, GEP, RGP, HGE, or HGP. Silver may also be stamped STER, STR, SS or Sterling.
International standards on silver vary by a lot and many pieces are sold unmarked.
It’s a good idea to make sure that you know what you’re buying as silver from some areas is notoriously impure. German silver, for instance, is only 80% silver. Egyptian silver, perhaps the most notable example of near-fraud, is only required to be 60% silver.
Sometimes jewelry makers will seek to get around standards by not stamping metals in countries where it’s not required and will only indicate the origin of the metal instead of the actual purity.
Beware of silver jewelry that is not stamped! The absence of a unattested fineness mark means the metals are not identified. Frequently such product takes a cheap base metal and plates it with a thin layer of silver.
Luxuria Diamonds
The quickest way to identify sterling silver is to look for a mark or stamp, called the “fineness mark.” The fineness of a precious metal object (like silver) represents the weight of fine metal therein. Certified sterling silver will be stamped or marked with the word “sterling” or “925.”
You may often come across alternative hallmarks such as “STG” “SS” or “STER”. Though rarer these if probably used are also authentic notations of sterling silver. Furthermore older British jewelry from the mid 19th century to the mid 1970’s may have a forward facing Lion Passat standard mark. This also represents silver. See the above chart.
As a consumer, it’s your job to make sure that you’re getting what you pay for. The precious metal trade is rife with fraud to this day, but a savvy customer can get along without getting ripped off in the meantime.
925 Silver Testing
If there are no silver stamps on the jewelry then this may indicate the jewelry is plated. It may be best to have such a piece tested.
Jewelers do such tests by applying acid to a very small piece of material taken from the jewelry. Silver is a precious metal and its authenticity should be verified.
A Nitric Acid Test is typically used to check if silver is pure or plated. To do so, jewellers file a small part of the item in a discreet area where it cannot be seen. Jeweller then apply a few drops of nitric acid. If the area turns into creamy white, the silver is pure or sterling. If green, it is probably fake or silver-plated.
The History of Stamping Metals
Stamps have existed since ancient times as a way to show the purity of precious metals. In many ways, these were actually among the first forms of consumer protection.
In Europe, the tradition of hallmarking stems from the simple fact that frauds have always been rampant anywhere that money can be made. The assaying process assured consumers that they were getting what they paid for and not a similarly colored metal.
The British had a very intricate method of stamping their metals. These include a stamp from the assay office, with different offices in different towns having their own stamps, a date mark, and the assayer’s mark indicating purity. Added to this was the maker’s own stamp.
The system used in England has changed over time and the assay office town stamp is no longer necessarily an indicator that the town in question was actually where the item was assayed.
While not entirely standard, the early United States didn’t adopt their own standards until the 1860s. Before this, the vast majority of silver was obtained by melting coinage and there were no formal assay offices. Instead, pieces were marked with “COIN” or “PURE COIN” to indicate the origins of the silver.
When was the 925 mark first used in the US?
The US adopted the sterling standard in the 1860s. Unlike the intricate marks used in Europe the majority of items that met the sterling standard were simply marked “STERLING”.
By far the vast majority of qualifying items made in the US between 1860 and 1970, especially items made before 1940 are marked “STERLING” or “STERLING SILVER”. Many vintage marks, but far from all, include the name of the manufacturer. It is very rare to find the 925 mark used on silver rings or other jewelry during that period.
As a general rule virtually all US jewelry and most international jewelry marked 925 is modern.
In 1973, the European Community (EC) agreed to recognize 925/1000 as the official sterling silver standard and 925 as the official standard mark.
When was the 925 mark first used in the USA? The answer is that the 925 standard mark became the international convention in millesimal expression (i.e. 925/1000) in 1976 when it was jointly agreed to by Europe, England and the United States. In practise common use of the 925 mark started in the US in the 1970’s.
PHOTO 1 : A modern 925 ring with 925 standard mark stamp seen on upper right of the inside band. LUX is the makers mark or sponsors mark for Luxuria of New Zealand. The 925 standard mark became the international convention in millesimal expression (i.e. 925/1000) in 1976 when it was jointly agreed to by Europe, England and the United States. [SOURCE: Luxuria Diamonds]
Which countries have a Hallmark System?
A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal. The purpose is to certify the content of precious metal. Precious metals include platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium.
Many countries, including the U.S., do not have an official hallmarking system. Further, hallmarks of one country can vary dramatically from another.
In many places, especially Europe, it’s required that a maker register their mark at a hallmarking or assaying office so it can be tracked.
In most European countries, including France and Great Britain, an item is not legal for sale without a hallmark. Germany doesn’t have hallmarking, but it’s the exception.
A few countries, like Austria and Norway, have optional hallmarking. Italy doesn’t require hallmarking but it has better registration of the maker, a specific number, so what you see as an Italian mark was placed there by the maker. It’s a little more formal than any other maker’s voluntary marking.
What do other Symbols stamped on a 925 ring mean?
In addition to raising the question of what does a 925 mark mean when stamped on jewelry – we are often asked about other 925 ring stamps? What do other symbols stamped on jewelry mean?
Other than the 925 jewelry stamp the other key stamp is the makers mark. The makers mark is the stamp representing the jeweller, manufacturer or brand which made the ring.
The makers mark is a unique stamp placed on jewelry to identify who made it. The mark sometimes referred to as the sponsors mark also ensures the authenticity of the manufacturer.
PHOTO 2: What do other symbols stamped on jewelry mean? Some examples of makers marks. From upper left clockwise. GDJ inside a diamond symbol represents Grieve Diamond Jewellers of Hastings, NZ. The circled R represents Regal Castings Ltd of Auckland, NZ. The circle with a hat symbol represented A.J. Sweeney jewellery, now owned by James Pascoe Ltd of NZ. The joined MB capitals represent Mark Beckett Diamonds of Auckland, New Zealand [Source: JWNZ]
Makers marks or stamps are typically made up of the manufacturers initials, often two or three letters. However they can also be a logo, brand name or some other unique representative symbol. Identifying this mark is very important and a key step in determining provenance and value.
Do you have a 925 ring or jewelry stamp you can’t identify?
In our comments section below we have answered lots of questions on various 925 ring stamps.
Examples include 925 NVC 7, 925 STE◇BEE, DA925, EDE 925, SO 925, 925AM, GP925, 925A, AE 925, 925 LA, A 925, SK 925, BY 925, IBB 925 INDO, 925 BEE, 9K 925 PT, ae 925, JL S925, N 925 CN, DI 925, 925 LA CN, bee 375, EA 925, 925 M inside a diamond, SAI © 925, MA 925, 925 1GZM JO, 925 CN D inside a square, S925, 925 © SX, SX 925, 925 R CHINA, R crescent moon 925 ©, 925 JS, 925 C^A, 925 GD, 925 ( • ), 925 A⅃ ©, 925 14k A/ ©, 925 pd in heart, iLu 925, FC 925, 925 F in star, 925 infinity symbol and more jewelry marks.
Read our comments section below.
PHOTO 3: Various common U.S. 925 makers marks. From top left clockwise; jewelry signed NVC belongs to a manufacturer who was commissioned by AVON Products Inc. of New York. Jewelry signed IBB is made for the International Bullion and Metal Brokers (USA) Inc., of Florida. Jewelry signed ae 925 or aeo was made for American Eagle of New Mexico. See our comments section below for more details on these and other 925 makers marks.
We also have a page we are building on contemporary makers marks. We find Hallmark directories and guides are useful for antique jewelry. However Maker’s marks aren’t nearly as well documented as hallmarks.
Is 925 Mark Silver a Good Choice for Rings?
Absolutely. Sterling silver is one of the best materials around when it comes to ring construction. It has a traditional precious metal feel while remaining hard enough that you won’t have to worry about damaging it in normal use.
Sterling silver is still a standard in jewelry, few pieces are ever made with fine silver since it’s so soft. Those that are made of fine silver are generally fine pieces made as pendants or earrings.
It’s long-lasting, tarnish-resistant, and easily cleaned in the event that it does antique. There’s a reason the sterling standard exists: except for purity it’s superior in almost every way to fine silver.
Looking for a 925 ring or a Cheap Engagement Ring?
Now that you know the 925 stamp’s origin and what it means for the metal involved you likely feel a bit more confident in your ability to select silver.
Many people are opting for sterling silver as the base metal of rings these days. 925 rings for example are hard, long-lasting, and cost much less than gold rings. In recent years affordable engagement rings have become increasingly sought after. These inexpensive engagement rings still use precious metals like 925 silver but frequently use diamond alternatives.
In any case we hope we’ve answered the question, what does a 925 mark mean when stamped on jewelry? Armed with this information only one question remains: how do you choose the right sterling silver ring for yourself or your beloved?
Well, it might be easier than you think. Why not take a look at our guide today?
Want to learn more?
Sales of sterling silver engagement rings with cubic zirconia stones (sometimes referred to as temporary or placeholder rings) have skyrocketed in recent years as more prospective grooms seek to eliminate the risk of buying the wrong natural diamond gemstone ring. Read more about silver with fake diamond rings
Here is five reasons why silver engagement rings are on trend for 2021 and beyond.
Upon noticing a green tint to their finger some readers ask, does 925 silver turn your finger green? Read the linked article to find out!
We also welcome any comments you have on the topic of what does a 925 mark mean when stamped on jewelry ? Do you have jewerly marked 925 with other marks you don’t recognise? Please use the comments section below.
Leonard Roaden
Necklace gold stamped on it / ot 925 turkey what does it mean??
Ralph Ede
Hello Leonard, It means the necklace is most likely gold Vermeil, in which the base metal is 925 silver over which a gold plating is applied. Please note the gold plating is usually very thin, can be damaged and will wear off with use over time.
Tina Marie Robinette
What does NVC 7 and 925 on the other side mean???)
Ralph Ede
Hello Tina,
In reply to your question of what does NVC 7 and 925 mean when stamped in a silver ring we reply as follows
NVC is the makers mark. This mark belongs to a manufacturer who was commissioned by AVON Products Inc. of New York to make rings and other jewelry items for the brand. In the mid 1970’s AVON had established itself as the world’s largest costume-jewelry producer. While this is no longer the case today AVON continues to subcontract manufacture of jewelry globally. The vendor who manufactures for AVON is usually identified by a two or three character (usually letters) additional mark on the jewelry. The NVC mark on a ring is typically followed by a number. This number is the USA ring size, so NVC 7 means it’s a USA size 7 (average for women) ring. See photos below of NVC 6 and NVC 7 stamped rings.
The 925 found on the other side of ring band is the millesimal fineness mark for silver. Therefore the metal content of the ring is likely to be 92.5% silver which is alloyed with some other base metal to strengthen it typically copper but could include zinc and nickel.
Photo: NVC 7. NVC refers to a manufacturer commissioned by AVON © to produce jewelry for them. 925 rings stamped with NVC will usually be followed by a number which refers to USA ring size. So NVC 7 means a US size 7 ring.
Rachael Arlington
I have a ring marked gld 925. I would like to know what that means
Ralph Ede
Without sighting and testing the ring it is difficult to be sure Rachael. If the ring is gold in colour we’d say it is most likely gold vermeil. If the “gld” was in capitals i.e. “GLD” it could represent a makers mark (usually the initials of the maker / designer) or a brand mark. But as you’ve mentioned gld is in lower case we assume that’s attempting to communicate its gold but when used in combination with 925 i.e. “gld 925” we’d take it to mean a 925 silver ring plated with a layer of gold. Hope that’s useful.
Nathan Shaeffer
I have a ring, on side stamped 925 MA and in the other China. Meanings? Could it be worth anything?
Ralph Ede
Hello Nathan,
When 925 is stamped on Jewellery it usually means the metal material is silver alloy. Sterling silver is usually 92.5 per cent pure silver and 7.5 percent copper, but other metal(s) are sometimes used in place of copper, for example nickel. We are not familiar with the “MA” inscription. “China” simply means the jewelry is made in China.
With respect to worth, it really comes down to the material content. Silver is a precious metal and its value – along with gold – has surged in recent times, reaching its highest peak in 6 years. Recent spot prices are over US$20 per oz. Many investors currently see precious metals as a safer store of value in these uncertain times. However, we’ve seen many made in China rings which were stamped 925 but in fact were silver plated over a base metal. These have no market value.
Ra Bau
925 over Metal Alloy… would be my guess so possibly plated
Ralph Ede
Ra, From your description we’d say it’s almost certain the jewelry is plated. Jewelry is often plated with a very thin layer (measured in microns) of 925 silver in order to keep prices low.
The metal alloy could be anything but usually consists of cheap base metals, for example brass which is an alloy of zinc and copper. Mass-produced fashion jewelry often contains copper or copper alloys.
Much of the time the contents of the metal alloy aren’t disclosed. Some alloy’s include nickel which if it comes in contact with skin can cause allergic contact dermatitis, with symptoms including rash or bumps on the skin, itching, redness or changes in skin color.
BLR
Ring Stamped 925 L who is the maker?
Ralph Ede
You don’t provide much information on the ring so it’s difficult to make a determination. In general , silver makers marks are characterized by two or three letters and/or an identifying symbol which we can look up in a Jewelry hallmark publication.
An “L” following a “925” purity stamp is not a maker’s mark that we are aware of and therefore gives no clue on who the maker is. We suspect the “L” in this instance is actually intended to identify the ring size. L is a UK ring size (the letter size code is also used in other countries such as Australia and New Zealand ) and is the equivalent of USA ring size 5 ¾ . Does that make sense to you?
janie hall
Hi my ring has BY 925 stamp on it, what does this mean?
Ralph Ede
Hello Janie, regarding your question of what does BY 925 mean when stamped on a ring, we reply as follows.
The BY in the BY 925 ring stamp is the makers mark. This mark belongs to Bijoux Continental of Montreal, Quebec . Bijoux Continental was a maker of gold and silver chains, rings, earrings, bangles and fashion jewellery until their manufacturing closure in 1998.
Another possibility is the BY mark has also used since the 1970’s by Benson Yazzie, a Native Indian (Navajo) maker of custom / handmade jewelry usually using Sterling Silver and Turquoise. This however seems a little less likely because Benson Yazzie typically uses STERLING rather than 925 as a millesimal fineness mark, i.e. the ring would more likely have a BY STERLING stamp rather than BY 925. Another point of differentiation is that Benson Yazzie’s work is typically hand stamped or engraved thus the jewellery marking looks somewhat less tidy than the BY 925 mark used by Bijoux Continental jewelry.
Charles Wheeler
Ive ran across a tennis chain and marking on the clasp is DA then 925 is upside down. Could these be diamonds. Its large 32 grams and guessing 10 plus carats if so. Thanx in advance
Ralph Ede
Hello Charles,
We’ve seen DA 925 stamped on a wide variety of jewellery.
DA or more commonly D-A is used by Norwegian design house David Andersen. While the house has employed a number of different modernist designers over more recent decades, its signature styles don’t really encompass and embrace tennis chains so we doubt your piece originates from there.
DA 925 can also be found stamped on mass produced made in China silver and silver plated jewelry. For tennis chains diamond simulants, largely cubic zirconia, is commonly used in place of natural diamond. We doubt your chain has natural diamonds as gems are more usually set in more precious and stronger metals such as gold. Only testing could provide a definitive answer though. Finally, please be aware that even if the stones turn out to be diamonds they will most likely be only of non certified promotional grade. Hope that helps and all the best.
KAREN BROWN
What year did the 925 silver stamp begin showing up on jewelry?
Ralph Ede
As a rule of thumb, virtually all silver rings or other silver jewelry marked or stamped 925 or sterling 925 are modern.
The 925 standard mark became the international convention in millesimal expression (i.e. 925/1000) in 1976 when it was jointly agreed to by Europe, England and the United States.
That said, the 925 standard mark was also very rarely used in vintage American silver. However, the vast majority of US jewelry circa 1860’s to 1970’s is marked STERLING or STERLING SILVER and often includes the name of the manufacturer.
Joel Holland
I like buying vintage Native American pieces. But what does the “EDE” stand for on the .925?
Also, how old is it usually if it’s marked 92.5?
Thank you…
Ralph Ede
As you are a collector of native American jewelry we’d urge you to consider the purchase of books like Hallmarks of the Southwest by Barton Wright. This particular book (there are other options to) appears to be a very useful tool for identification of individual hallmarks. It was originally published in 1989 so it doesn’t cover more recent silversmiths but for jewelry to be considered “vintage” it needs to be about 30 years old anyway.
We are not specialists in this area and our current hallmark guides don’t cover this niche. A quick glance online suggests the EDE .925 hallmark or EDE 92.5 hallmark is modern and possibly of Navajo tribal affiliation but the jewelry designs we’ve seen have more of a mass produced rather than handcrafted feel and this observation is supported by their low asking prices. Furthermore, the hallmarks we’ve seen in photos of are modern 925 stamps pressed into silver raising further doubts that some of the vintage native American jewelry advertised – is vintage.
Bottom line? Sales of fake native American jewelry are on the rise. Hopi, Navajo and Zuni style jewelry offered for sale in various marketplaces is actually being manufactured offshore in Asia. It’s not uncommon for plastic or synthetic acrylic resin or dyed Howlite to be used in place of natural turquoise, so please take care.
Lee
Are these type of rings worth anything? I’m not selling mine as it is my engagement ring AND a family heirloom but I’m just curious.
Ralph Ede
If your ring is silver and stamped 925 then absolutely the ring has value because silver is a precious metal.
Silver is valued in USD per ounce. In fact the price of silver has increased by over 40% year to date in 2020. Some investors who want protection against inflation buy silver and gold as inflation hedges and this precious metal demand drives up value.
If the 925 mark ring is also set with precious and/or semi-precious gemstones these will also add to the rings value. A qualified jewelry valuer is the best place to have the ring assessed if you have an interest.
Of course being a family heirloom, the sentimental value trumps everything else.
Dixie
Hello, what does “so 925” on my silver chain and fake diamond stand for?
Ralph Ede
The SO mark which appears in our hallmark guides, though is typically framed, is the hallmark of Austrian jeweler, Salomon Ordner. However, you mention the use of fake diamond which is a recent advent so we can discount that maker’s mark. Further, makers marks are typically in capital letters and yours appears in lower case which means its unlikely to signify a specific jeweller and therefore very difficult to identify.
In summary, what we can say is for “so 925” the “so” is likely to be a manufacturers stamp of a costume jewelry manufacturer. It’s also possible, that the “so” refers to a location with SO being a provincial code of Sondrio, Italy. If that holds true though we would have expected to see for ITALY marked or stamped on the silver chain too. 925 of course is the stamp for sterling silver, which likely means that your chain is 92.5% silver.
Chelsea
I have a ring that has been handed down generations, stamped with “925 AM”. We have been wondering what “AM” means.
Ralph Ede
Checking our hallmark guides the AM hallmark has been used by numerous jewellers over the past 100 years. Focussing on silversmiths we note AM was the makers mark used by various jewellers from central Europe (notably Austria) and the UK, some dating as far back as the late 1800’s. More recently AM is also the makers mark for Danish jeweller Anton Michelsen and costume jewelry manufacturers from Mexico and China have also used “925 AM” mark.
The use of the 925 stamp is an indicator that the ring is not particularly old because the 925 stamp is a relatively recent mark. In America, most silver jewelry made between 1860 to 1970 and especially items made before 1940–are marked “sterling” or “sterling silver. The general rule is that virtually all pieces marked 925 or sterling 925 are relatively modern so we are confused by your comment that the ring has been handed down generations. Perhaps you could send us a photo?
Lizzie
I have a silver ring stamped 925 with a round Symbol next to it but I can’t make out what the symbol is ? It also has 5 fake/real ? Diamonds on. Looks amazing but is it fake ?
Thank you
Ralph Ede
Hello Lizzie. As the symbol next to the 925 is unclear we are not able to look up our hallmark guides to identify the maker. As to whether the 925 stamped ring is mounted with natural or fake diamonds – only testing by a qualified jeweller could provide a definitive answer. If we were to take a guess we’d say the diamonds are actually simulants or at best very low grade diamond because its rare to set natural diamond into sterling silver. Real diamonds of any substantial value are usually mounted in either Platinum or gold because these are more durable and precious metals.
Jully
What’s the meaning of GP 925 13
Ralph Ede
Hello Julia, Re your question on GP 925 13, as noted in our blog “What does a 925 mark mean when stamped on jewelry”; GP usually means gold plated, 925 means 92.5% silver so GP 925 would typically mean the jewellery is gold plated over a sterling silver base.
As for the 13 it may indicate a size or length – for example if this piece of jewelry is a ring the GP 925 13 may indicate a USA size 13 (mans sized) ring. Another more remote possibility is that the 13 refers to the karat of the gold plating. 13k gold is 54.17% Gold and 45.83% alloy.
Pam
What does 925IRRTH on 14k gold plated earrings mean?
Ralph Ede
Hello Pam,
In a possible answer to your question on what does 925IRRTH means when stamped on jewelry, we’d likely break it down to 925 IRR TH with 925 being the fineness mark for sterling silver – in this case being the precious base metal, IRR likely being the jewelers makers mark and TH being the country of manufacture. TH is the country code for Thailand. The 925 stamped earrings will be relatively recent as both the 925 stamp and the TH stamp are considered modern.
Sara
What does 925 on an earring mean please?
Ralph Ede
Hello Sara,
It simply means that the maker of the earring is claiming or attesting that the material used to make the earring is 925 silver. The 925 stamp represents the millesimal fineness mark for silver. This means the maker is claiming that for the area of earring marked 925 is 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals.
Phil Dick
Is there a way of determining genuine Blue John?
Any simple way of testing it?
I have a ring which appears not to be old and the ‘gem’ has been polished and wonder if it’s Blue John?
Ralph Ede
The very first observation we’d make is that its relatively rare and certainly not recommended to have this unique Fluorite gem mounted in a ring. This is because Blue John is fragile and brittle and being rated at only 4 on the Mohs hardness scale – is unsuitable for most jewelry use, especially rings. Even in earrings and pendants the gem needs a protective setting.
So the fact your gem is ring mounted is a strong indication it might not be Blue John. Further, if it was a real Blue John we’d expect to visually see surface scratches if the piece has been worn.
As for testing you need a refractometer to at least first establish the gem is a Fluorite. Fluorite’s very low RI (1.432-1.434) and dispersion (typically around 0.007) can quite easily distinguish it from many other gems.
Furthermore some (but not all) fluorites display fluorescence under ultraviolet light (UV), but we’d caution that the presence of fluorescence is not conclusive for gem identification.
Conclusive testing requires a qualified jeweller or gemmologist.
Tedi LaBelle
My gold ring says 925 STE◇BEE and has 7 real/fake diamonds. What does the STE◇BEE mean?
Ralph Ede
Hello Tedi,
You’ve asked about a gold color ring with 7 real or fake diamonds which is stamped 925 STE◇BEE. In particular you want to know what the ring marking 925 STE◇BEE means?
We break it down as follows:
The 925 stamp is a millesimal fineness mark for silver. The fineness is stated in parts per thousand (Arabic numerals) so the 925 mark attests that your ring is 92.5% silver.
As you’ve mentioned the 925 ring is gold in colour, we’d guess the ring, possibly an anniversary band, is gold plated over 925 sterling silver with the 7 diamond simulants likely being cubic zirconia (cz).
STE is sometimes used, incorrectly we feel, as a short form for Sterling. If it’s necessary to convey sterling it is more usual for the stamp to be STER, STR or SS. In ages past STERLING was engraved. Sterling is has a fixed standard of purity usually defined legally as represented by an alloy of 925 parts of silver with 75 parts of copper.
BEE is likely the makers mark / brand. Looking up our Hallmark guides we see the mark is used by a few different makers / manufacturers, but the mark with the 925 BEE all being in typeset capitals belongs to a costume and silver jewellery manufacturer based in Ningbo, a sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People’s Republic of China.
Frequently the STE◇BEE jewelry mark is contained within an oval. Jewelry marked this way was quite widely distributed in the USA via big box retailers.
Angela
Looks like I have ring that says 8j925 … it’s not a size 8 just saying what does this mean ?
Ralph Ede
Hello Angela, while the 925 stamp on jewelry is self-explanatory being a mark of material fineness, the 8J in front of the 8J925 is an interesting mark. Instinctively one would think the 8 refers to USA size 8 ring size but you’ve discounted that.
Looking up our hallmark guides we find no reference to the 8J stamp on jewelry. This typically means the ring is modern, not from a reputable or well established / known maker or brand and usually (but not always) low cost, mass produced costume jewelry.
However, are you perhaps misreading the 8J 925 mark? An 8 looks similar to a B so instead of an 8J925 ring stamp could it be a BJ925 or BJ 925 ring stamp?
BJ is a common maker’s mark / designers mark from China, usually of reasonable quality though sometimes misrepresented as being of Native American Indian origin. Loads of fashion jewelry sold by American brands and retail outlets is actually made in China. For example jewelry signed Bj 925 / BJ 925 was carried by QVC, an American free-to-air television network and a flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. While most jewelry marked BJ 925 is made in China, some was also made in Thailand. The location stamp is included on most but not all 925 jewelry bearing the BJ designers mark. Examples are seen in the below photo.
PHOTO: What does BJ 925 mean stamped on a 925 ring? BJ is a common jeweler’s makers mark from China.
Heather Teeple
I have a Diamond ring (i think anyway) which is stamped 925 A. What does a 925A mark mean when stamped on jewelry?
Ralph Ede
Hello Heather, rings stamped 925A or marked “925 A” are very common. Unfortunately the 925 A marking in the band is not enough for us to identify ring beyond hinting the ring is set in 925 sterling silver (92.5% actual silver, with the rest of the metal made up of base metals like copper) and that the ring stones are more likely to be zircon, cubic zirconia (cz) or some other diamond simulant, rather than natural diamond.
Further, as there are no other markings other than 925A the absence of a makers mark or brand mark together with the abundance of 925 A mark rings suggest the silver ring is mass produced. Over 90% of 925A jewelry is manufactured in China or Thailand. Sometimes this is affirmed by an additional location of workmanship stamp such as 925A CHINA or 925A CN or 925A THAILAND or 925A Thai or 925A TH.
Jason
I have 2 rings that are made into 1 ring and one of them say AE 10 925 what does it mean
Ralph Ede
Hello Jason, regarding your ring marked AE 10 925, the signed AE 10 925 marks or stamps can probably be broken down as follows.
AE is the makers mark, i.e. the jeweller, manufacturer or brand responsible for the rings design or distribution. We’ve seen the AE mark in a circle as well. The AE 925 mark is used by several designers – a quite common one being American Eagle from New Mexico in the South Western United States. American Eagle Outfitters jewelry is usually signed ae or aeo. American Eagle Jewelry may also be stamped with AE in capitals or have the brand stamped in full i.e. “american eagle”. AE / AEO brand jewelry is mostly manufactured in China and India and has little commercial value.
Another user of the AE mark is Art’s Elegance Inc. of California. This is less probable because they mostly work in 14k gold and gold plating over 925 silver and are better known for pendants and bracelets. Arts Elegance jewelry can be made from silver of gold or a mixture of both and sometimes includes natural semi-precious gemstones. Their jewelry often contains a copyright mark ©. Further sometimes the AE is contained inside an oval. Unlike American Eagle which is largely cheap costume jewelry Arts Elegance is often demi-fine jewelry. See photos of ae 925 mark and AE 925 mark below.
Finally, the 10 in the AE 10 925 mark is likely reference to the ring size i.e. USA 10. The 925 mark when stamped on a silver ring indicates the fineness of the material, in this case 92.5% precious silver.
Photo: ae 925 & AE 925 jewelry marks. The AE 925 stamp is the makers mark of Art’s Elegance Inc. of California. The ae or aeo stamp on jewelry represents the makers mark of American Eagle from New Mexico.
Jill Peachey
Hello…. I have a silver ring with, what I would describe as, an art deco design. Large rectangular black stone, surrounded by chipped black stones. The stamp on the inside has what appears to be a capital “A” followed by 925. Im new to vintage identification but I believe I understand the “925” silver stamp. Would like your input on what the “A” means and also how to go about dating this piece. Thank you
Ralph Ede
Hello Jill, Thanks for your question re a ring with a capitalised A925 marking / A925 stamp. The large rectangular black stone may be Black onyx, Black Spinel, Black Tourmaline or Zircon all of which are quite common. If the A is stylised – for example the crossbar is missing from the A i.e. something like Λ , it’s possible the ring maker is Anchalee Products of Bangkok, Thailand.
Anchalee specialised in mounting semi-precious gemstones into 925 silver and used a stylised A – Λ925 stamp to assert their work. Impossible to date the piece from the information given but possibly late 1980’s to 1990’s if our assumption on the maker is correct.
Dustin Woods
So I have two necklaces one marked 925 LA TH and the other 925 LA CN. Just curious as to what this means.
Ralph Ede
Hello Dustin, In reply to your question on what 925 LA TH and 925 LA CN means when stamped on jewelry we reply as follows.
Breaking it down, 925 is millesimal fineness mark for silver. Therefore the metal content of both necklaces is likely 92.5% silver which is alloyed with some other base metal to strengthen it, typically copper but could include zinc and nickel.
The LA in 925 LA is the makers mark. The maker mark identifies the manufacturer, jeweler or brand responsible for the jewelry design. LA in this instance probably refers to L.A. Gem and Jewelery Design Inc of Los Angeles, USA. Nowadays you see this 925 LA mark product marketed under various pseudo brands some examples being ShineTM and “Love is ForeverTM”. The A in the LA 925 stamp is often stylized as can be seen in the photos below of typical jewelry signed LΛ 925.
Finally the TH & CN stamps likely refer to the country of manufacture – i.e. where the jewelry is physically made. It is not uncommon for a piece of 925 jewelry to be designed or branded in one country, but manufactured in another so as to reduce costs. On this basis it is probable the 925 LA TH jewelry is manufactured in Thailand and the 925 LA CN jewelry is manufactured in China (PRC).
Jerry
What does SK mean when stamped on the inside of a sterling silver diamond ring i.e. SK 925 or 925 SK?
Ralph Ede
Hello Jerry,
Regarding your question on what does SK mean when stamped inside a sterling silver diamond ring we respond as follows.
SK refers to the mark of the maker or the jewelry manufacturer, which is likely to be Scott Kay Inc. of New Jersey USA. Scott Kay specialised in bridal, sterling silver and fashion jewelry some of which is marketed via QVC / Home shopping network and under different brands / marks including 925 SK, SK 925, SK COBALT, SCOTT KAY, ARTISTE and many others. Under new ownership the company is moving toward the luxury market. The SK signed silver ring (SK 925) is more likely to have Diamonique ™ cubic zirconia or some other form of diamond simulant rather than real mined diamond.
Janie Hall
Hi my ring has BY 925 stamp on it, what does this mean?
Ralph Ede
Hello Janie, regarding your question of what does BY 925 mean when stamped on a ring, we reply as follows.
The BY in the BY 925 ring stamp is the makers mark. This mark belongs to Bijoux Continental of Montreal, Quebec . Bijoux Continental was a maker of gold and silver chains, rings, earrings, bangles and fashion jewellery until their manufacturing closure in 1998.
Another possibility is the BY mark has also used since the 1970’s by Benson Yazzie, a Native Indian (Navajo) maker of custom / handmade jewelry usually using Sterling Silver and Turquoise. This however seems a little less likely because Benson Yazzie typically uses STERLING rather than 925 as a millesimal fineness mark, i.e. the ring would more likely have a BY STERLING stamp rather than BY 925. Another point of differentiation is that Benson Yazzie’s work is typically hand stamped or engraved thus the jewellery marking looks somewhat less tidy than the BY 925 mark used by Bijoux Continental jewelry.
Marcy Telford
I have a 925 sterling silver and CZ ring which is marked “925 BEE” inside the ring band. The 925 BEE stamp on the jewelry is all in capitals. Could you tell me what the 925 BEE jewelry marking means and where it might be from?
Ralph Ede
Hello Marcy. The 925 BEE mark may be broken down as follows.
925 is a standard mark for silver. It simply means that the silver content in your ring is 92.5% with the remaining 7.5% being made of other alloyed elements.
BEE is the makers mark. The mark with the 925 BEE all being in typeset capitals belongs to a costume and silver jewellery manufacturer based in Ningbo, a sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province, People’s Republic of China.
Marcie S
Hi, I have a 925 silver necklace that has a monogram circle with the letters IDB & 925 INDO . Can you please reply with who the maker might be (I know that’s kind of a random question due to there being an enormous amount of possibilities so if you have knowledge of who it might be, that’ d be awesome to know). And I am thinking the “iNDO” could possibly stand for Indonesia.¿ Please correct me if I am incorrect in my assumption. Thank you for your help! Marcie S
Ralph Ede
Hello Marcie,
We’ve checked our makers mark guides and unfortunately drawn a blank with respect to a jewellers markers mark with of a monogram circle with letters IDB inside.
Is it possible the marking is actually IBB? Sometimes with age and wear a B can look more like a D.
IBB is a very common makers mark, often contained within an oval or other shapes, like a rounded three leaf clover / shamrock, the mark belongs to International Bullion and Metal Brokers (USA) Inc., a corporation based in Florida. IBB is a distributor of jewelry including 925 silver necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, bangles, chains, anklets, and pendants. Manufacturing is done in multiple offshore locations.
As far as the 925 INDO marks are concerned, 925 is the millesimal fineness mark for silver, so the maker is claiming the necklace is made of precious silver. The INDO appearing after the 925 likely refers to the country of manufacture, 925 INDO likely indicates the silver necklace is manufactured in Indonesia, though this is far from certain as larger Indonesian jewelry items usually use the country name in full i.e. INDONESIA.
Comparatively, IBB CN identifies manufacturing in mainland China and IBB TH for manufacturing in Thailand are both more common though we regularly see 925 silver chains with IBB ITALY mark on the clasp or finding. Typically IBB 925 INDO stamped jewelry products have a handcrafted rather than mass produced look and feel to them.
Photo: IBB 925. IBB is a jeweler’s makers mark for International Bullion and Metal Brokers (USA) Inc., of Florida. The IBB jewelry mark may be contained within an oval or other shapes, like a rounded three leaf clover / shamrock as seen above.
Tracey larkin
Hello I have my mother’s amethyst cocktail Ring she got it in the 1980s in CA and used to wear it quite a bit it was her favorite. It’s gold an very large. Looking inside it’s stamped 925 then a makers mark I guess and china. I was surprised that it was plated because it still looks like gold. Is there a way to find our who made it . The mark is a square with either a 0 or circle in it.
Ralph Ede
Hello Tracy. Your description is an Amethyst gemstone ring, set in 925 sterling silver which is plated in gold and marked as being manufactured in China and signed / stamped with a square with a circle or 0 inside of it and obtained in the 1980’s.
While our research is inconclusive we feel there is a good chance the square mark with the 0 inside or a square mark with a circle or dot inside identifies this ring as being made by a Chinese manufacturer and supplier on behalf of AVON Products Inc. of New York.
AVON as you may be aware has its roots as a perfume company going all the way back to 1886. David H. McConnell founded the California Perfume Company in New York City and with the help of a clever businesswoman named Persis Foster Eames Albee; he developed a multi-level marketing business type that empowered women to work for themselves, selling fragrances and toiletries to other women across the United States. AVON did not produce costume jewelry until 1963 but by 1975 it was already the world’s largest costume-jewelry producer.
Whilst AVON products were largely costume jewelry i.e. of little material value being manufactured in cheap base metals and decorated with resins, plastics and faux gemstones or simulants this was not exclusively the case. AVON used many manufacturers globally for supply and some set rings in precious 925 sterling silver and used natural gemstones. If yours is such an example then it’s considered demi-fine jewellery (vermeil plating + natural gemstones) rare and highly collectable. Of course there is also a chance your ring may contain a faux amethyst i.e. purple infused faceted glass, CZ or rhinestone. Only gem testing would prove conclusive.
Most AVON jewelry is stamped ©AVOп or with AVOп inside an oval. This identifies the brand. It does not identify who designed or manufactured the piece of jewelry for AVON. The vendor who manufactures for AVON is usually identified by a two or three character (usually letters) additional mark on the jewelry. However, we’ve also seen AVON manufacturer markings matching and similar to your description, some have the appearance of being signed or marked with a 0 inside a box or a solid dot inside a box [the outer box may be rounded] and typically stamped on the inside band of the ring. We attach below examples of this marking which sometimes is not complete or clear due to age and wear, especially if the jewelry is plated.
Photo: While most AVON Jewelry is stamped © AVON i.e. AVON with a copyright symbol, some earlier pieces were signed with an 0 inside a box or a solid dot inside a box.
Vanessa Wright
I have a ring marked as 925 1BB please could you tell me if it’s real or not, thanks Vanessa
Ralph Ede
Hello Vanessa, regarding your ring marked 925 1BB, we’d be reasonably confident in saying the stamp is actually 925 IBB. Anyhow, what does it mean when a ring is marked 925 IBB? The 925 stamp indicates that the piece of jewelry you’re holding has been created with sterling silver. The IBB stamp is the makers mark and likely indicates your ring is made for the International Bullion and Metal Brokers (USA) Inc., a corporation based in Florida. IBB is a distributor of jewelry including 925 silver necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, bangles, chains, anklets, and pendants. Manufacturing is done in multiple offshore locations.
To the second part of your question you want to know with the 925 IBB signed ring is set with a real diamond? In answer we’d say it’s unlikely. While there are some makers that set low grade diamonds into 925 silver settings; most natural diamond is set in more precious and stronger metals such as gold and platinum. Only testing by a qualified gemmologist or jeweller could provide a definitive answer though.
Finally, some 925 IBB mark jewelry contains additional marks or stamps including CN or TH [see below photo]. These indicate the country of manufacture – i.e. where the jewelry is physically made. IBB CN 925 for example means jewelry by IBB was manufactured in China and set in 925 silver.
Grisha
Hello, I have a ring on it worth three stamps 9K 925 TP. Could you help me find out information about my jewelry?
Ralph Ede
Hello Grisha. We note you have forwarded us a photo and the three stamps on the ring are 9K 925 and PT. We also note the ring has a makers mark clearly inscribed; Dyadema.
So what does 9K 925 PT mean when marked on a ring? Rings marked 9K 925 PT should consist of a combination of three separate metals.
First, 9K gold or 9-karat gold which contains 9 parts of pure gold and 15 parts additional metals. Common alloyed metals include silver, copper, platinum, palladium and zinc. In Europe 9k gold is more usually referred to as 375 reflecting its gold purity which is 37.5%. Gold has to be mixed with harder metals to give it strength and shape.
Second, 925 which usually is the millesimal fineness mark for silver.
Third, PT which is the material mark for platinum. While it varies by country jewelry stamped PT must contain a high level typically 950 parts per thousand (ppt) of platinum to legitimately have the PT mark without a fineness qualifier. Of the three metals in the ring Platinum is by far the most valuable.
We can’t guarantee the markings or our interpretation are accurate and it’s possible the ring is essentially 925 and merely plated in gold. We say this because it’s rare to have platinum and silver on one ring. Further, we doubt the ring is 92.5% Platinum which is another possible meaning for the 925 PT mark. Only actual metallic content testing would be conclusive.
Looking at your ring the 9K is likely the rose gold coloured outer bands. Given the quantity, the stones are likely to be crystals or cubic zirconia. The design is reminiscent of a spinner ring common to Israel.
Finally, the makers mark seen is Dyadema. Dyadema S.R.L was founded in 2014. We are not familiar with Dyadema but understand it is located in Loria, a comune in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about 50 kilometres northwest of Venice. Jewellery products from Dyadema are mostly sterling silver and said to be made in Italy and distributed in Italy, the USA, Canada, England and Australia. We understand that Dyadema have manufactured products in other locations too such as Portugal and Israel.
Colin McKenzie
Hi. I have a metal chain bracelet with a similar clasp to the photo under 26 April above. It’s stamped 925 in 3 places (including the same place on the clasp as in the photo), but there are no other marks. Can I count on it being real silver? If not, what would be the best way to test it?
Thanks very much.
Ralph Ede
Hello Colin. Whilst most jewelry stamped 925 is indeed 92.5% silver the 925 millesimal fineness mark is not a guarantee. Unfortunately the 925 mark can easily be stamped onto any metal and the frequency of fake 925 silver has increased significantly in recent years.
Silver is a precious metal and the value of silver which is priced in USD and measured per troy ounce has significantly inflated over the past 1 year. Silver is measured in troy ounces. Each troy ounce contains about 31.1034768 grams of silver, which is slightly higher than a standard ounce which has only 28 grams. Spot prices for silver have increased by over 50% in the past 12 months.
The fact you are unable to locate a makers mark or any other symbol on the jewelry is a concern. Reputable manufacturers of 925 sterling silver items usually mark them with their trademark or brand mark.
Honestly, the best way to conclusively test silver content is to take the chain bracelet to a jeweller. They will use a small jeweler’s file to make a discreet mark to reveal if the silver is just plated. The underlying metal or the filed sample pieces can then be tested with a nitric acid. As the acid sinks into the piece a resulting color will indicate the metallic content. Blue for example indicates the metal is nickel which is a common base metal for silver plated jewelry. It is possible to buy test kits online too if you wanted to try silver testing yourself. Some of other DIY silver tests you read online are not accurate.
Zoie
Hi! I have a ring stamped JL S925 and am wondering if you can give me any information about it! It is some sort of faux diamond sterling silver ring.
Ralph Ede
What does JL S925 mean when stamped on a ring? We break it down as follows.
JL is the makers mark. We suspect the JL mark on your ring identifies the ring as being designed and manufactured by Jewellista. Jewellista Co., Ltd is located in Sam Phran, the southernmost district of Nakhon Pathom Province in Thailand, about 40 minutes drive from Bangkok.
Jewellista has been a manufacturer, distributor, ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) of jewelry since 1987. Its customers include Walmart Inc, USA which is perhaps where your ring was originally purchased. Via ODM they also supply jewelry to Disney and Argos Limited who is a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Jewelry signed JL 925 may use plain or stylised JL characters for the makers mark. See photo below of the stylised JL logo.
Finally, the S925 mark means the jewelry maker is attesting that the jewelry is made from precious Silver of 92.5% purity.
Krissy Garcia
What does it mean when theirs a stamp on a ring n925 cn!
Ralph Ede
Hello Krissy, With respect to your question on what does N 925 CN mean when stamped on a ring we reply as follows.
N will likely be reference to the brand, manufacturer or maker of the ring. Unfortunately, as you might imagine, N is a very common jewelry mark. There are lots of different manufacturers signing jewelry with an N or N925, so it is difficult to be certain which one made your ring. If the N is stylised in a font similar to the below photo then we suspect the ring may have been made for NES Jewelry Inc, which is based in New York.
NES Jewelry, Inc. designs, manufactures and wholesales jewelry. The Company offers bracelets, earrings, necklaces, pendants and rings mostly made in 925 sterling silver, stainless steel, brass and alloy metals. Manufacturing is done offshore with NES having offices in Qingdao, Yiwu and Zhuhai, China. Final products are sold via retail partners consisting of large format retail stores such as Walmart, department and specialty stores, specialty chain, TV shopping networks, internet retailers and boutiques internationally.
As to the balance of the N 925 CN mark, the 925 stamp is a declaration by the maker that the rings metal content is 92.5% silver and the CN stamp indicates that the country of manufacture for the ring is China.
Photo: N 925 CN. N is jeweler’s makers mark for NES Jewelry Inc of New York, though other designers/manufacturers also use the N stamp on jewelry.
Mark lambert
Ok I have a ring with 975 stamped and also franz on it as well. Looks very old.
Ralph Ede
Hello Mr. Lambert, a ring stamped 975 and signed franz is an interesting find. To start with 975 silver is rare. As I’m sure you are aware jewelry stamped 975 is claiming the metallic content to be 97.5% pure silver and 2.5% alloy to make it stronger. Fine silver (.999) is pure in form and too soft to be used in most jewellery and certainly not practical for hardwearing jewelry like rings.
Sometimes, 975 is misread with the actual silver content being 925. It’s not uncommon for the 925 jewelry stamp to wear with time and if the base of the 2 disappears it can look more like a 7.
Franz is likely the makers mark. Without sighting the jewellery and confirming the makers mark from our database we can’t be certain of the manufacturer / brand. If the Franz mark appears in standard typeset characters and in capitals i.e. FRANZ it may identify it as belonging to a brand based in Berlin, Germany which produced jewelry in precious stones and precious metals decades back but no longer does so.
Dee Leadingham
I have scoured the internet- maybe you can help! I have a 925 ring with a stamp DI on the inside of the ban. Any information would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank You.
Ralph Ede
Hello Dee, So you have a 925 ring with a DI stamp on the inside band. The DI stamp is almost certainly the makers mark i.e. a reference to the jeweler, manufacturer or brand responsible for design and/or the production and/or the distribution of the ring.
Looking up our jeweler database we find several using the DI mark on jewelry. There is Diamonds International based in Brisbane Australia which uses the DI mark contained in an indented oval. See the below photo. We don’t think your ring is their work because they mostly work with natural diamonds set in 18k gold.
A more likely source for your ring is (confusingly) also called Diamonds International but this one is Diamonds International LLC, a New York limited liability company with its principle place of business located in Bronx County, New York. Diamonds International LLC does business in New York, Alaska and Florida within the United States of America and over one hundred locations (port cities) throughout the Caribbean, selling primarily to cruise ship passengers. Much of their range is set in 925 silver. They use various jewelry markings include a typeset DI stamp and a DI stamp including a diamond shape. So jewelry signed DI 925 or DI .925 may have been manufactured for them.
I hope that helps. We can’t be more definitive without sighting the ring.
Photo: DI inside an oval & DI .925. DI inside an oval is the jeweler’s makers mark for Diamonds International of Brisbane Australia. DI .925 is the jeweler’s makers mark for Diamonds International LLC of New York.
Carrie
I have gold earrings with THAILAND in one spot and 925 stamped in another spot? Could they be worth anything?
There are three diamonds: small at the post, center bar diamond and larger diamond at the bottom.
Ralph Ede
Hello Carrie, regarding your gold earrings stamped 925 & Thailand, they will absolutely be worth something. It is likely the metallic content of your earrings is 925. This 925 base will likely have been plated with gold, hence the earrings color. The 925 stamp attests to the purity of the silver, i.e. 92.5%. Silver is a precious metal and has an intrinsic value.
The three stones are more likely to be diamond simulants rather than natural diamond or if they are natural diamond they will likely be of “promotional quality”, i.e. I-1, I-2, or I-3 clarity diamonds and heavily included (internal imperfections).
The THAILAND stamp indicates the country of jewelry manufacture. Thai silver is typically high quality. Thailand is a major global producer of silver jewelry and is also a supply source for many precious and semi-precious gemstones too.
Alysia
Hello my bracelet is stamped LA CN and nothing else. What does this mean. I don’t know where the bracelet is from. Thank you for any help!
Ralph Ede
Hello Alysia, In reply to your question on what LA CN means when stamped on a bracelet we reply as follows.
Breaking it down, LA is the maker’s mark. The maker mark identifies the manufacturer, jeweler or brand responsible for the jewelry’s design and/or distribution. We suspect the LA mark in this instance identifies the bracelet designer or brand owner as being L.A. Gem and Jewelery Design Inc of Los Angeles, USA. Their older jewelry is signed 925 LA and newer jewelry uses various pseudo brand marks such as LA ROCKS which has brand showrooms in Los Angeles and New York. Most of L.A. Gems products appear to be set in 925 sterling silver and accordingly the jewelry is stamped 925.
Finally, the CN stamp likely refers to the country of manufacture – i.e. where the jewelry is physically made. It is not uncommon for 925 jewelry to be designed or branded in one country, but manufactured in another where the labour and/or material costs are cheaper. Jewelry signed LA CN will likely be manufactured in China (PRC). See photos below of the jewelry marked LA CN.
Photo: LA CN or 925 LA CN. LA is a jeweler’s makers mark for L.A. Gem and Jewelery Design Inc of Los Angeles, USA.
Sophie
Hi there I have a gold colored ring with the exact word “bee 375” stamped on it. It also looks like a dark blue or green sapphire stone (I’m guessing) almost like a black.
Ralph Ede
Hello Sophie. Regarding your gold coloured ring which is stamped bee 375 we have a reasonable level of certainty that the ring is designed and manufactured by or for Bee Jewellery Pty Ltd of Mascot, New South Wales, Australia. The bee maker’s mark is used by them on a wide range of 925 silver and gold rings. Many Bee Jewellery rings are set in 9 karat gold which is represented by the 375 mark on your ring. 375 is a purity mark signifying the gold is 37.5 per cent pure. The remaining proportion of your product will therefore be an alloy of other typically non-precious metals such as copper or zinc.
The dark blue, almost black central stone may be a natural black sapphire gemstone. Black sapphires come mainly from Australia and are mined in large quantities. This variety of sapphire is cheap and generally considered low grade. So in sum ring signed “bee 375” is likely the work of Bee Jewellery Australia. An example of the bee 375 marking can be seen in the below photo. Does that look the same is stamped on your ring?
Photo: bee 375. bee 375 or bee 925 is the makers mark for Bee Jewellery Pty Ltd of Mascot, New South Wales, Australia.
ILyana
Hello from Moldova republic!)
Please, Help me Too)
EA 925 on Ring. Ring with very very small diamonds, 25-30, with yellow Part on the center, but 375 haven’t.
Thank U!
Ralph Ede
Hello ILyana. Regarding your ring stamped EA 925 we break it down as follows. EA is the makers mark. 925 jewelry signed EA, where the EA is contained in an oval (see below photos) is the work of East Arts Jewelry Manufactory Limited of Hong Kong. Established in 1985, East Arts is a Hong Kong based fine jewelry house specializing in diamond, precious and semi-precious gemstone jewelry which is set in various precious metals including 925 silver, 14k & 18k gold etc. Manufacturing for East Arts is done in the in Guangzhou Province of China so products will sometimes include a separate location stamp as well i.e. jewelry signed EA 925 CHINA or EA 925 CN.
Finally, as I’m sure you are aware jewelry stamped 925 is attesting that the purity of metal used is 92.5% silver. We hope the reply helps you.
Photo: EA 925 CHINA. EA is a makers mark for East Arts Jewelry Manufactory Limited of Hong Kong.
Miranda
Hi! I have a silver ring with an A stamped on it. The A has a little hat, kind of like an upside down bracket [ with the two short ends facing down. Then it says 925. Then it says D10 in a rectangle. Any chance you know the maker of this ring?
Ralph Ede
Hello Miranda,
What an interesting 925 ring you have. The ring stamped 925, D10 and A with a symbol affixed on top of the A, a bit like a diacritical mark.
We break down the meaning of each mark as follows.
The 925 stamp is a millesimal fineness mark for silver. The fineness is stated in parts per thousand (Arabic numerals) so the 925 mark attests that your ring is 92.5% silver.
The D10 stamp inside a rectangle is a year mark or date code stamp. The year mark is a voluntary marking that indicates the year of manufacture by means of one letter followed by a numeral or numerals. From the D10 year mark we can tell you two things. First, this 925 ring comes from the Kingdom of Sweden and second the 925 ring was manufactured in 1978.
The letter A with a diacritical like mark above it is a town mark. A town mark is a voluntary mark that indicates the residence of the manufacturer or the importer. In Sweden, town marks were standardised in 1912 and the town mark consists of one letter that’s usually the first letter of the town’s name, though there are some exceptions. The letter typeface and frame also differentiate one town from another. The A (as described) identifies the ring was made in the city of Västerås. Västerås is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, about 100 kilometres west of Stockholm. Västerås is one of the oldest cities in Sweden and Northern Europe.
Unfortunately your ring appears to be missing a makers mark or a producers trademark so we can’t identify the jeweller or manufacturer of the ring. The makers hallmark is typically either two or three letters, often initials of the makers name or an abbreviation of the name of the maker or company. The absence of a Swedish jewellers makers mark is rare but more common with modern period Swedish 925 jewelry. The absence of a makers mark combined with the absence of Swedish Control Mark to show that the quality of the metal has been analysed by the proper authorities, may hint this particular ring was not made for commercial purposes or to be sold.
See photo below (lower photo) of a complete set of Swedish hallmarks. This includes (from left to right) a town mark, the Swedish Control Mark, being a small national coat of arms (three crowns) in a trefoil-shaped shield, an S in a hexagonal shield to indicate certification for silver, a date mark [D10 = 1978], a makers mark [SOK = Stina Sökjer Petersen] and a 925 stamp.
Photo: Swedish 925 Hallmarks
Dee
Hi Ralph I read all your replies and hope you can help me out. I got a ring from my grandfather about ten years ago before he passed and it may have been my grandmothers wedding band but I’m not sure based on the stamps inside. She claims it was but I’m thinking the dates don’t line up. They were together throughout the 1960s.
One side of the ring says CHINA OG (if you could also explain what OG means you’ll be a legend. I cannot get any answers on this) and the other is 925 with a capital M inside a diamond, the M is fully inside and doesn’t touch the edges of the diamond. The closest makers mark I can find is Marathon Co but it is slightly different. Thanks so much for your time!
Ralph Ede
Hello Dawn,
Regarding the 925 ring you got from your grandfather which is stamped 925 CHINA OG and is signed with a capital M inside a diamond shaped border or otherwise marked with the letter M enclosed within a diamond, we reply is follows.
The 925 stamp represents the millesimal fineness mark for silver. This means the maker is claiming the ring is 92.5% silver.
CHINA or 925 CHINA is a location mark and means the ring is manufactured in China, PRC.
OG in the context of your ring most likely means Overlay Gold, often referred to as rolled gold plate or RGP. The OG marking is not likely to be strictly correct as stamped here because Gold Overlay is done by forging a new alloy with a base metal like brass, copper, an alloy of copper or silver core. Given the 925 base and the two color tones visible your ring is more likely to be GP (gold plated) or Gold Vermeil, which has sterling silver as the base material, plated in at least 10k (10 karats) gold and have a thicker level of gold plating than typically found on GP rings. Strictly speaking the 925 OG stamp – if genuine – should be accompanied by another stamp indicating the gold purity fused to the base / core metal.
We’ve looked at the photos you sent us and M stamp inside a diamond matches a later edition marking of Marathon Co of Attleboro, MA. (see photo below). Marathon Co which has been in existence in various guises since the early 1900’s uses various maker’s marks. In addition to versions of the M inside a diamond stamp / mark some of their jewelry uses MARATHON spelt out capitals. See below photo of a 14K GF Marathon stamp. A lot of Marathon Co jewelry is marked GF (Gold Filled).
Finally, we don’t think the ring was your grandmother’s wedding band because the 1950’s / 1960’s relationship date you mention makes no sense. Perhaps this ring was a later replacement? We say this because both the 925 and CHINA marks are modern marks. The 925 stamp is rarely used before the mid 1970’s and China’s open door policy didn’t commence in scale for offshore manufacture / ODM / OEM of 925 jewelry until the 1980’s.
Photo: Marathon Co. makers marks, M inside a diamond shaped border & MARATHON in capital letters.
Gayle Gargaran
What does italy 925 7 meaning on a ring
Ralph Ede
Hello Gayle,
You’ve asked what 925 Italy 7 means when stamped on a ring.
One possible answer is that your ring is designed and / or manufactured in Italy using 925 silver metal content. 925 marks in Italy are usually contained within an oval cartouche. The 7 likely refers to the ring size. Italian ring size 7 roughly equates to a USA size 4.
However, as your ring appears to lack an Italian silversmith makers mark it is also possible the 925 ITALY simply means the silver which is used in the ring is sourced from Italy and actual manufacturing is done elsewhere. If that’s the case the 7 stamp is more likely to reference USA size 7.
Joe Gordon
I have a ring that says SA1 then a c inside a circle then 925
Ralph Ede
Hello Joe,
The marking on your ring is most likely to be SAI © 925, i.e. SAI followed by a copyright symbol located on the inside band of the ring, with 925 stamp usually adjacent.
SAI © is the makers mark. The SAI jewellers mark belonged to Samuel Aaron Inc, of Mount Vernon, NY. The Aaron Group, founded as Samuel Aaron Jewelry in 1950 was a third-generation family run business that had expanded from a single jewelry store in New York into a true international operation with factories, partnerships and hundreds of employees in Mumbai, London, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China. The Group was acquired by the Richline Group – a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway in January 2017.
Your ring stamped SAI 925 if it’s a 925 ring with diamond simulant such as cubic zirconia would likely have been marketed under the DIAMONLUXE brand and made in China (PRC) in the early 2000’s. The DiamonLuxe brand was widely distributed in the USA via large department store chains such as KOHLS. We include photos below of the SAI © 925 jewelry marking.
Photo: SAI © 925. SAI is the jewellers makers mark for Samuel Aaron Inc. formerly of Mount Vernon, NY.
Chris Acosta
I have a few bracelet charms with a MA 925 Italy stamp. What does that mean? Thank you for this service. It’s very informative and seems to be helping quite a few people.
Ralph Ede
Hello Chris, How nice to receive some thanks for the service. We mostly receive one line demands for information, many of which we don’t reply to.
You’ve asked about a charm signed 925 MA ITALY and what that means?
MA is a makers mark. In your case it most likely refers Michael Anthony Jewelers inc of NY. MA jewelry was widely distributed in the USA via various retail chains including Wal-Mart, J.C. Penney, Zale’s and Kmart.
Michael Anthony has a broad range of 925 and 10K gold jewelry including charms, pendants, 925 rings and bracelets. Some of the 925 jewelry focused on religious themes. Various makers marks where used (see below photo) including MA, Ma and various stylized forms of these letters.
Bel-Oro International one of the largest U.S. distributors of fine jewelry including gold, silver and precious stone items, acquired the operating assets of Michael Anthony Jewelers, Inc. in 2005 so nowadays Michael Anthony is part of the Richline Group, a global jewelry manufacturer and a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.
The Italy stamp is likely reference to the source of the 925 silver. Actual manufacturing was largely done in a facility in Mount Vernon, New York, though more recent manufacturing was done offshore in a factory owned and operated by Michael Anthony in the Dominican Republic (DR).
Lastly 925 stamps on rings, charms and other jewelry indicates that the piece has been created with sterling silver. Sterling silver is an alloy that is made of 92.5% actual silver, with the rest of the metal made up of base metals like copper.
Photo: MA 925 ITALY is a makers mark used by Michael Anthony Jewelers inc. of New York, USA.
Gabby G.
I have a ring with a mark that says 21C and then a symbol that looks like Indian or Arab letters (I can’t really tell). I am assuming is gold because I’ve had it for quite a long time without noticing any changes or fading in the metal. Thank you in advance.
Ralph Ede
Hello Gabby,
Without sighting and testing the rings material content it’s impossible to be certain but the 21C mark on your ring may suggest it is made from 21 karat gold.
Although 21 karat gold at 87.5% gold purity or 875 is rare in the United States it is especially popular in India. Further, Goldsmiths in the Middle East also favour 21K gold, which is sometimes marketed as “Arabian gold.” This observation aligns with the “Indian or Arab” letters you see marked on the ring, which are possibly represent a makers mark or manufacturers stamp.
Any competent jeweller could acid test the ring content to confirm it is gold.
Paula Doran
Hello, I have a necklace that has 925 1GZM JO. Could you please tell me what that means? Thank you for your time
Ralph Ede
Hello Paula,
You have asked what 925 1GZM JO means stamped on jewelry – in your case a necklace?
In reply, we break the meaning of the 925 1GZM JO jewelry markings down as follows:
925 is the millesimal fineness mark of sterling silver. The sterling silver alloy is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or other metals. By using the 925 stamp the jeweller, manufacturer, sponsor or brand is attesting the jewelry so marked is made using 925 silver.
1GZM is the makers mark. This is a very recent mark which we believe is ultimately owned by the Momjian Group of Amman, Jordan. The Momjian group has 50 years of experience in fine jewellery industry and a portfolio of brands. The groups existing branded products are distributed globally and can be found in the USA in retail chains such as Walmart, JC Penney, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Target, K-Mart & Sears. Focus is mostly on 925 silver jewelry but gold in various karats and brass is also used. As mentioned the 1GZM jewelry mark is very recent only being in use (according to our research) since 2019.
Finally, JO is the country of origin or country of manufacture stamp. The JO stamp indicates the jewelry is made in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We suspect your 1GZM stamped jewelry is made by Amor Jordan Limited in the Al Tajamouat Industrial City (ATIC) which is located about 20km from the capital of Jordan, Amman.
Photo: We answer what 925 1GZM JO means stamped on 925 jewelry above
Dee
Hello Ive read all these because a Google search said the answer may be here not certain I may have missed it, I have a silver ring 925 CN with a D in a square Ive tried looking up but would appreciate any help. This was given to me and had been worn by a 95 yr old woman, it appears as good white gold and looks a bit worn where touches fingers like gold would do smooth looking.
Ralph Ede
Hello Dee,
You’ve asked what 925 CN and D in a square means when stamped on a 925 silver ring?
In reply, we break the meaning of the 925 with D in a square and CN (or 925 with D in a box) jewelry markings down as follows:
925 is the millesimal fineness mark of sterling silver. The sterling silver alloy is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or other metals. By using the 925 ring stamp the jeweller, manufacturer, sponsor or brand is attesting the jewelry so marked is made using 925 silver.
The D in a square marking is the makers mark. Jewelry signed D in a square when combined with the CN stamp is usually the work of Delmar Manufacturing LLC of Champlain, NY. Also known as Delmar International the company was originally founded in 1978 in Montreal, QC. Delmar Jewelry manufacture products marketed under various company owned brands and they also develop under license products for other brands. Your ring is possibly a product from the MiADORA brand. Although the Miadora brand offers jewelry in 10k and 14k gold your ring is marked 925 and therefore is set in 925 silver, not white gold as you have indicated.
Furthermore, you may have thought the ring was old because of its condition or because it was given to you by a 95 year old woman – but all the markings on the ring i.e. 925, CN and D in a box are actually modern markings. We’d date the ring in the 1990’s based mainly on the registration date of the manufacturer’s D mark.
Finally the CN stamp on the 925 ring is the country of origin or country of manufacture stamp. The CN stamp indicates your 925 ring is made in the Peoples Republic of China or PRC. We understand Delmar has a manufacturing facility there.
Photo: Rings stamped 925 CN and D in a square are usually the work of Delmar Manufacturing
Dee
Thank you so much gratitude
Linda
Hi There 🙂
I recently purchased a vintage necklace. On one side of the clasp it’s stamped BG 925 and on the other side it is stamped J.W.D. I was told it was bought from Birks Toronto in 1975 but do not see a Birks stamp on the jewelry. I would really appreciate any information you can provide?
Thank you kindly.
Ralph Ede
Hello Linda,
What an interesting query. Birks as you are probably aware is a highly regarded Canadian jeweler, considered by some to be the Tiffany® of the North. Both Birks and Tiffany brands have beautiful blue packaging with Tiffany trademarking their particular hue of blue. Henry Birks opened his first jewelry store in Montreal, Canada in 1879. In 1893, Birks entered into a partnership with his three sons (William, John and Gerald), and the name of the firm became Henry Birks and Sons. Nowadays its known at the Birks Group Inc.
We can see from your supplied photos that the necklace carries a J.W.D makers mark on the clasp. The JWD stamp is a makers mark belonging to Henry Birks & Sons Limited.
Furthermore the blue box carries Birks double B trademark, or BB stamp which was used by Henry Birks & Sons Limited until the early 2000’s. The box also carries the Birks Lion insignia or heraldic lion crest.
We note the other side of the clasp bears the marks BG 925. BG may represent the initials of the individual jeweler crafting the piece and 925 identifies the metal content as being 925 silver.
We do however harbour some concerns about the authenticity of the necklace and suggest you take it to Birks and request whether they can provide a Letter of Authenticity? A Letter of Authenticity is an important document which certifies authentic jewelry, securing its status as a genuine jewelry designer piece.
Our concerns stem from the following. First, the J.W.D makers mark doesn’t look right. Usually the typeset font height and spacing is consistent. On your necklace the D letter is visibly smaller in height and spaced differently from the J and W letters. Furthermore the fact the D’s angle differs from the other two characters clues it may have been separately stamped. Second, the earliest recorded use of the JWD makers mark we could find was 1979, four years after the sellers claimed purchase date. Jewelry signed JWD was more common in the 1980’s and even then jewellery of the era was more commonly stamped BIRKS. Third, we would not have expected to find the 925 stamp on your 1970’s necklace. Most Birks jewelry of the era and even later used STERLING instead. Finally, we are also wondering whether the box was supplied together with the necklace. We’d expect to see elastic necklace guides or indentation in the Birks BB stamped box to hold the necklace more securely and present it better.
Photo: J.W.D stamp from Birks Jewelry above and more common BIRKS and STERLING markings below. Some early Henry Birks and Sons work included UK assay markings including a lion passant to represent silver.
Janet L Austin
No question. It was answered.
Bravo! Well written article. Patient and detailed, authoritative answers to questions. I’m giving a standing ovation!
Such a contrast to other sites: opinions and guesses passed off as information in a Q&A forum, that get quoted elsewhere/everywhere until the initial guess is vetted by number of appearances but not a shred of research!
And you are still alive! So many dead blogs with last entries about 2018, the peak of the collectibles bubble according to Antiques Roadshow.
I hope you’ll have the financial success needed to sustain this effort.
With respect and admiration!
Ralph Ede
We are pleased to read our blog has answered your question.
Indeed, there is a lot of misinformation out there with respect to the meaning of various symbols stamped on jewelry. That said, modern 925 jewelry markings are in many cases not catalogued or recorded as well as older vintage and antique makers and other jewelry marks.
Ralph
Hi Ralph, What does a stamp of D2.00ct mean on sterling silver stamped earrings? Can one tell if the stone is diamond or synthetic?
Ralph Ede
Hello Ralph, You’ve asked what D2.00ct means when stamped on some 925 earrings?
In reply, for this combination of markings, the D typically refers to Diamond and ct. to the carat weight of the diamond.
That said, it is unusual to find a natural diamond set in 925. In most cases the stone is neither natural diamond nor synthetic diamond. Rather the stone is more usually a diamond simulant such as cubic zirconia, crystal or moissanite. A trained jeweler or gemmologist can inspect provide a more definitive reply.
Jean Sommerlot
Hello!
I’m struck by your knowledge and kind consideration to your fellow man! I have been looking on Ebay at some rings. The site says the ring is made of sterling silver but I have my doubts, the cost is too cheap. Some of the stamps on them is S 925. Wondering what that may be. These are coming from China.
Thanks for all you do!
Jean
Ralph Ede
Hello Jean,
Yes, it’s a case of caveat emptor (buyer beware) for some 925 jewelry from China listed on various platforms. The S 925 stamp asserts the jewelry is Silver with a purity of 92.5%. All too often the S 925 mark is deceptively used because the true metal content actually turns out to be a non precious base metal (often brass) over which a very thin layer (microns) of silver is plated. Furthermore, it’s not uncommon to see sellers title their items with “.925 Sterling Silver”, however, in the fine print of the description it will say something like the metal is .925 Sterling Silver Plated.
Silver is a precious metal and price can therefore be a giveaway. For example if you see a brand new US$2 ring on eBay that’s advertised as being a S 925 ring – there’s a good chance it’s not true. This is because the cost of core materials needed to make ring, most notably the 925 silver is greater than US$2.
Photo: What does a S 925 mark mean when stamped on a silver ring? The answer is S925 is a very common notation on jewelry. The stamp attests the piece is made of sterling silver. However, unfortunately the S925 mark is often fraudulently used.
Carol
Happy New Year Ralph! I have this squared shape cluster diamond ring and I hope you can help me with this mark. it looks like L maybe C and a j, but with a crown on top of the J and then it have 925 India. I wish I could post a picture, but here is a link to another ring that has the same logo. They have it listed as a Ross Simons jewelers ring. Thank you for any help and stay safe.
Ralph Ede
Hello Carol,
We reviewed the photo you sent of the purported Ross Simons ring. The mark seen in the photo does not match any Ross Simons makers mark we’ve seen. The country stamp of India further adds to the doubt as the vast majority of the RS sterling range is Chinese manufactured. We urge caution, as looking at listings on various platforms we are frankly alarmed at what people are trying to pass off as Ross Simons jewelry with some even going to the trouble of placing jewelry which is clearly from another sponsor or brand or manufacturer into a Ross Simons box.
For the sake of clarity the 925 sterling range from Ross Simons is typically marked with a stylised R. On 925 rings and other jewelry that is more cleanly stamped the mark almost looks like a small r combined with inverted s i.e. rჇ. They will also include the metal purity stamp i.e. 925, a location stamp i.e. CHINA and sometimes additional information like size or stone material. See the below photos.
PHOTO: What does 925 R mean when stamped on Jewelry? One possible answer is a commonly found 925 mark for Ross Simons is 925 R China. The Ross Simons jewelry stamp is characterised by a stylised letter R which is commonly used together with a metal purity mark and a location stamp.
Maria
Hi I have 2 pieces of Jewelry marked 925SX. What does 925 SX mean when stamped on jewelry? You seemed to be very knowledgeable with basis. Thank You in advance.
Maria
Ralph Ede
Hello Maria,
You’ve asked what 925 SX means when stamped on jewelry.
925 is the millesimal fineness mark of sterling silver. The sterling silver alloy is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or other metals. By using the 925 ring stamp the jeweller, manufacturer, sponsor or brand is attesting the jewelry so marked is made using 925 silver.
SX is the makers mark. According to our makers mark guides the SX mark is used by several manufacturers or sponsors – but given your location and the silver content we’d be reasonably confident the SX mark in this instance belongs to Silver Express International of Houston TX. We are not sure whether they are still in business but Silver Express acted primarily as a distributor with manufacturing of the 925 jewelry being done offshore, notably in Thailand and mainland China. SX stamped jewelry was widely circulated in the US via the Home Shopping Network or HSN as its better known today.
Common markings for Silver Express rings include © SX 925, 925 © SX, SX 925 and 925 SX. Often the manufacturing location stamp would also be added with SX 925 THAI or SX 925 THAILAND being common for 925 jewelry manufactured in the Kingdom of Thailand or 925 SX CN, 925 SX CHINA for 925 stamped jewelry manufactured in the Peoples Republic of China.
Silver Express also owned the Sally C brand which typically used a more ornate maker’s mark. Jewelry from both ranges often incorporated semi-precious gemstones such as Onyx, Turquoise, Lapis lazuli etc. which has possibly led some online sellers to incorrectly advertise the product as being Indian Native American jewelry. See photos below of 925 SX jewelry marks.
PHOTO: What does SX 925 mean when stamped on jewelry? The answer is SX is a jewelers makers mark belonging to Silver Express International LLC and 925 is purity of the precious metal used.
PHOTO: Sally C jewelry brand mark. Various marks used but generally characterised by a stylised S & C letters together with Sally C in typeset font and a flower vine. The brand also belonged to Silver Express.
Julie Gunn
I have this maker’s ID (R 925©) on a braided leather necklace toggle clasp.
Would you happen to know what maker’s mark this is?
Thank you.
Ralph Ede
Hello Julie,
You’ve asked who the maker is of jewelry stamped R 925©?
From your supplied photo we can see the makers mark also includes partial moon, half moon or crescent moon located to the left of the R mark. The combination of the R letter, crescent moon, 925 and copyright stamps identifies the manufacturer as Relios Inc.
Relios, Inc., is a jewelry design and production company from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Uniquely we understand that most of the Relios jewelry range is American manufactured which stands in stark contrast to 90% of fashion jewelry which nowadays is Chinese made.
Founded in 1975, RELIOS and its brands, Carolyn Pollack Jewelry and American West Jewelry, create 925 and fashion jewelry which is marketed via QVC, best known as the American free-to-air television network and shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping.
Based on the markings and the silver oxidization and tarnish visibly evident in your photo your braided leather necklace which is stamped R 925 © is likely dated / made in the late 1990’s or early 2000’s.
PHOTO: 925 Jewelry stamped with a makers mark of an a letter R, crescent moon, 925 and copyright mark is the work of Relios Inc. of New Mexico.
Julie Gunn
Thank you for answering my question. Your answer was thorough. I appreciate this.
HANNAH
I HAVE A RING THAT SAYS 925 JS. WHAT IS THE JS FOR?
Ralph Ede
Hello Hannah,
You’ve asked what JS means on a 925 ring signed JS 925.
The JS makers mark is or has been used by more than a dozen designers / manufacturers. You’ve not provided a photo of the mark so all we have to go on is that it’s a 925 ring which is signed JS. This is inadequate information to provide a conclusive assessment.
Given your US location we’d say a likely answer is that the JS refers to J. Stella & Company of San Francisco, CA. Manufacturing for J. Stella & Co is done offshore, mostly in China and managed by an affiliated entity in Hong Kong. JS signed jewelry is set in 925 silver and frequently included low grade precious and semi-precious gemstones. Further 925 JS marked jewelry from the company often also included a manufacturing location stamp i.e. JS 925 CHINA.
PHOTO: What does JS mean on a 925 silver ring? One possible answer is that JS is a maker’s mark of J. Stella Company of Hong Kong.
adeana ruback
sterling silver .925 italy 15 is stamped on the bottom….what does the 15 represent?
Ralph Ede
Hello Adeana,
You’ve asked what 15 means on a 925 ring which is stamped .925 Italy. The most probable answer is that the 15 refers to the ring size. Since the ring is stamped with an Italy location stamp the 15 will likely refer to Italian size 15 which equates to a US size of between 7 and 7.5.
Lynne Sims
I have a 5 petal amethyst ring with a emerald cut amethyst in the center from Thailand. It has the 925 mark and I cannot tell if the other marking is CA or not. Any idea about this ring?? I got it at an estate sale.
Ralph Ede
Hello Lynne,
You’ve asked what 925 CA means on a silver ring from Thailand.
Unfortunately you’ve not provided a photo or a link to the CA mark and furthermore you’ve not made clear how you know the 925 CA ring is from Thailand. As such, we are not able to provide a conclusive assessment.
By way of general observation we note that jewelry signed 925 CA is sometimes the work of Château d’Argent of Quebec, Canada. The makers mark for Chateau d’Argent is C^A, i.e. a capital C followed by a capital A with a small circumflex (a chevron-shaped diacritic mark) script between the letters. While circumflex script is not used in modern English it is still used in French as an accent to mark the deletion of consonants.
Some Chateau d’Argent jewelry is now 40 years old and it’s not uncommon to find the l’accent circonflexe (the circumflex) partially or nearly completely missing due to wear.
Chateau d’Argent jewelry was largely made in Canada, but you can also find 925 C^A jewelry with Thailand location stamps i.e. 925 CA THAI or Italian location stamps i.e. 925 CA ITALY. Some pieces may also be signed Sigal, being the surname of a principal designer, David Sigal.
PHOTO: What does CA mean on a 925 silver ring? One possible answer is that C^A is a maker’s mark of Château d’Argent of Quebec, Canada. Note that the chevron between the C and the A on the inside of the 925 ring band can be obscure due to wear and age.
Janice
Hello, could you tell me some information on my bracelet I recently purchased at antique shop.
It has a marking of 925 GD
Ralph Ede
Hello Janice,
You’ve asked what 925 GD means on a bracelet purchased from an antique store.
Unfortunately you’ve not provided a photo or a link to the 925 GD jewelry mark, so and we are not able to provide a conclusive assessment.
By way of general observation we note that jewelry signed 925 GD where the GD mark is in typeset font is sometimes the work of Gianna Deloro Inc of Burbank CA. Gianna Deloro has been in business for over 35 years and manufactures it range of jewelry including 925 rings, 925 bracelets, 925 earrings etc. as well as product set in 10k and 14k gold in the USA.
Alternatively if the GD makers mark is stylised as per the below photo, then its much rarer being the work of Golden Dragon Jewelry Corporation formerly of Los Angeles, CA. Golden Dragons work was mostly in 925 sterling silver and often included semi-precious gemstones.
Purchasing jewelry from an antique store doesn’t necessarily mean the jewelry is antique. To qualify as being antique the jewelry must be over 100 years old. Your bracelet would be no more than 40 years old because of the 925 millesimal fineness mark.
PHOTO: What does 925 GD mean if stamped on a 925 ring or other silver jewelry? The answer is that a stylised GD stamp on 925 jewelry may mean its manufactured by Golden Dragon Jewelry Corporation formerly of Los Angeles.
Amy Schultheiss
Hello! My mother gave me a ring with a very red colored stone. It’s marked 925 with this symbol ( • ) stamped next to it. She told me she thought it was given to her mother in the 1930s. She thinks it’s a red garnet. I doubt that, but it does look older and I’ve never seen any marks with punctuation marks like that. Any thoughts?
Ralph Ede
Hello Amy,
You have asked about a 925 ring stamped 925 ( • ) which you believe may date back to the early 1900’s. The symbol appears like parentheses or round brackets with a dot between them.
In reply we can say with a high level of certainty that though your 925 ring may be old it won’t back to the 1930’s or before. Most silver jewelry in the United States was marked STERLING prior to the 1970’s. The 925 standard mark officially became the international convention in millesimal expression (i.e. 925/1000) in 1976 when it was jointly agreed to by Europe, England and the United States. 925 stamp use prior to the 1970’s was rare.
The 925 ( • ) mark on your silver ring likely identifies it as an early AVON ring. AVON started producing costume jewelry in 1963 but didn’t use the AVON mark until later. The mark on your 925 ring is likely worn and originally the solid dot would have been surrounded by a rounded square box or a circle. If our assumption is correct the marking dates your ring in the late 1960s.
The stone in the 925 stamped ring may be garnet, but more likely a colored rhinestone. A gem tester would confirm.
PHOTO: What does the 925 (•) mark mean when stamped on a on silver ring? The answer is a 925 ring with a punctuated circle or dot inside round brackets is the aged and degraded symbol or makers mark of early jewelry work manufactured for the AVON brand. Between 1963 and 1970 jewelry was packaged with Avon perfume or other cosmetic products rather than separately sold.
Jane
Hi Ralph, I have a vintage engagement ring that it’s stamped inside 925 14k A/©, can you tell me please what that means? Thank you.
Ralph Ede
Hello Jane,
You’ve asked what 925 14k A/© means when stamped on a vintage engagement ring.
We break it down as follows.
925 is the millesimal fineness mark for the purity of silver alloy. Sterling silver has a millesimal fineness of 925. This mark on your 925 ring attests the silver alloy is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or other metals.
14K when used in conjunction with the 925 standard mark means some content in your 925 ring has 14K gold. Often in this situation the base metal is 925 and some area (or all) of the ring is plated in gold. If the gold plating meets a certain thickness it can be called Vermeil. Technically, jewelry marked “14k” should be solid 14k gold.
The A/ mark is the jewelers makers mark. Compare the mark on your 925 ring with the A/ marks in the photos below. On first glance the letter A looks like it is followed by a slash / or a division sign but closer inspection reveals the makers mark more closely resembles a combination of the upper case Latin letter A and a reversed italic capital letter L i.e. ( ⅃ ) with the base of the reversed letter ⅃ intersecting the foot of the letter A and top stroke slanting but not extending all the way to the apex of the A. Do note that some variation in mark can be observed due to variation of the steel punch and strike thereof for earlier works.
The 925 14k A⅃ © mark identifies the maker as being Andin International Inc. of New York. Andin was founded in 1981 by Ofer and Aya Azrielant and specialised in jewelry for the middle class. Products were widely available and sold under many different brands via large department stores like Macy’s and Sears and to leading jewelry retailers in the United States. Andin International was acquired in 2009 by the Richline Group of Mt. Vernon, NY, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.
We often see the A/ mark incorrectly attributed to Alwand Vahan.
Finally, the © stamp gives notice to the public that the work is copyrighted. Like any other original work, jewelry acquires copyright protections immediately upon production.
PHOTO: What does the A⅃ mark mean when stamped on jewelry? The answer is A⅃ is the maker’s mark of Andin International. The mark is used in conjunction with a © stamp and a material purity mark (i.e. 925, 10k, 14k etc.). The jewellery marks in the left of the above photo were ‘struck’ with a traditional steel punch, whereas the marks on the right used laser technology which burns the hallmark into the silver.
Reanne
Hello I bought this 925 ring for 50 cents at a yard sale not sure what this marking is? I attach a photo of the 925 ring below.
Ralph Ede
Hello Reanne,
Well that was a good buy. Being silver, a precious metal, the material cost alone of this 925 ring far exceeds the price you paid.
The makers mark ILU can be clearly seen in the photo you submitted. The ILU 925 mark belongs to Far East Gem & Jewelry Co of Seoul, South Korea. The mark is usually stamped vertically. When viewed horizontally the mark and can look a bit like FC 925 with the F character looking similar to the stylised F used in the Fila sportswear logo.
We understand this business manufactures product in Qingdao city in the Shandong province of China. Product was sold via multiple channels in the US market including via HSN, formerly known as the Home Shopping Network.
In addition to the 925 standard mark i.e. “925”, jewelry from Far East Gem & Jewelry Co. will sometimes include additional marks including a location mark, for example CHINA or CN and a material content mark, for example “CZ” for cubic zirconia.
PHOTO: What does ILU mean when stamped on a 925 ring or other 925 jewelry? The answer is ILU is the makers mark or sponsors mark for Far East Gem & Jewelry Co of Seoul, South Korea. The ILU mark is typically stamped vertically though more rarely is seen diagonally.
Reanne
Thank you so much!
Dee
Really needed some help on the hallmark/stamp. Mark / Stamp appears to be S 990 or 999 under camera Magnification shows up better on this bracelet.
Much research takes me here; Bracelet is typical Bawsani Yemeni. Bracelet may have been custom made for a very wealthy man or woman of importance.
Blue stones test as Spinel, One approx 12x12mm Center Blue Spinel and the 4 smaller large 10x10mm
The name Bawsani it refers to the House of Baws, or Beit Baws, a community of Jewish silversmiths near Sana’a, the capital of Yemen which developed a very high level of skill in creating intricate filigree: both open work and filigree.
During centuries, Jewish silversmiths have made ornaments in various percentages of silver for their own people, as well as for the Muslim urban, rural or nomadic populations.
I attempted to clean. See photos above. Some Patina remains.
This is a very rare bracelet from the late 1800s or early 1900s. Such bracelets were created in the early 1800s and early 1900s by the Jewish silversmiths for the brides of Yemen. As all the Jews departed for Israel in those early decades, they took the secrets of their fine silver filigree and granulation with them.
Ralph Ede
Hi Dee,
What an interesting piece of jewelry. You believe from research that it’s a rare bracelet marked S990 from the late 1800s or early 1900s and possibly a Bawsani style Yemenite Jewish silversmith bridal bracelet. We note at time of writing it is being offered for sale on Etsy for US$15,000 being described as a “Museum Quality Bawsani Yemeni 3-D Antique Cobalt Blue Spinel S 990 Fine Silver Cannetille Repousse 20C Bracelet Jewish Silversmith.”
We need to state from the outset that we are not experts in silver jewelry from Yemen. Therefore, we’d urge you to obtain independent expert opinion of a certified gemmologist appraiser which specialises in this period / location to assist in establishing provenance.
That said, we have strong reasons to doubt the veracity of the bracelet’s description and we outline some of our concerns below.
First, Yemini silver jewelry from late 1800’s / early 1900’s rarely carried any silver purity mark.
Second, the S990 / S 990 mark on the bracelet is a modern engraved mark. As mentioned above any purity marks were rare and where they did exist they were usual inscribed by hand, sometimes co-located with the makers mark. Due to age such period marks are often worn and illegible.
Third, silver jewelry in the late 1800’s was typically coin silver i.e. silver melted from coins which was typically 800 – 850 in purity. Silver jewelry in the early / mid 1900’s could be 950, i.e. 95% silver, 5% copper.
Fourth, you mention that the gemstones test as blue spinel and “cobalt blue spinel” is also mentioned. Research indicates use of such a stone in silver Yemenite jewelry is very rare. Traditional silver jewelry of the period used locally available stones, most usually Yemeni Agate which consisted of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components and came in a variety of colours. Beyond Agate, coral, amber, glass paste, turquoise or cornelian stones were used. All, unlike spinel (especially cobalt blue spinel which is a rare color variety), were cheap and locally available.
Fifth, the faceting of 12mm round center Blue Spinel is not consistent with the claimed period, neither is the quality of the setting. Jewelry of this period was handmade. Local silversmiths had only rudimentary hand tools available and early gemstones were hand cut (filed with spinning wheels) and polished. The Bezel type setting commonly used to mount flat-backed stones or cabochons were not of the quality seen in your piece and consequently gemstones are frequently missing from authentic late 1800, early 1900 Yemen jewelry.
Sixth, mention is made that this is a bridal bracelet. However, silver bridal bracelets of the claimed era usually came in pairs. They along with other jewelry given for marriage represented wealth, were heavy and thus for the sake of balance and increased value / dowry came in pairs.
Based on the above observations and more we doubt the veracity of the bracelet’s description. The void left by Jewish silversmiths returning to Israel was increasingly filled by imported silver jewelry and findings. On the streets of Sana’a today you will find loads of Yemenite reproduction and replica silver jewelry much of it from China and India. We doubt your piece is even from Yemen. The traditional Yemenite craft is disappearing and given the absence of a makers mark (see photo below) authentication is not possible. Even if the silver bracelet was crafted in Yemen we think it more likely its 40 rather 100+ years old, based on the markings and setting.
PHOTO: An example an authentic silversmith marking for the period. Such signatures / makers marks were rare, though very helpful in establishing authenticity and provenance. They were typically written in Arabic on a separate silver sheet which was soldered onto the jewelry piece. Occasionally the purity of the silver was included on the sheet to.
Lisa
Hi. I have a few 925 rings from my grandmother one of them has 3 large slightly yellow tinted rectangular stones and the band is marked with 925 followed by a heart shape with pd inside.
Do you have any ideas what the stamp means please?
Ralph Ede
Hello Lisa,
You’ve asked what does pd inside a heart mean when stamped on 925 silver jewelry? Further, you’ve submitted several photos of the 925 ring showing the pd in a heart marking to help us identify / validate the maker.
We reply as follows.
We are often asked what does a “925” mark mean when stamped on a silver ring? The answer is that the 925 stamp indicates that the piece of jewelry you’re holding has been created with sterling silver. Sterling silver is an alloy that is made of 92.5% actual silver, with the rest of the metal made up of base metals, typically copper.
The pd inside a heart jewelry mark is the makers mark. The mark is a lower case p and a lower case d inside a heart shape outline. We’ve seen a couple of variations of the mark (see photo below), one where the entire heart is indented and another where the outline of the heart is punched with a steel punch stamp. Either way, we believe the mark belongs to Pranda Jewelry Public Company Limited of Bangkok, Thailand. Pranda should not to be confused with PRADA or Premier Designs, the later of which uses PD (a capital P and capital D with no heart) as its makers mark.
Founded in 1973, the Pranda Group is Thailand’s leading fine jewelry manufacturer. PRANDA specializes in developing designs and producing fine quality craftsmanship jewelry in mass quantity (OEM/ODM jewelry production) delivering to jewelry brands globally. In other words Pranda manufacture jewelry on behalf of other brands. Further, they also distribute products (ODM and OBM) through various channels including TV shopping channels, independent retailers, chain stores, upscale department and specialty stores, e-commerce, etc. Pranda products are widely circulated in the UK and the USA and sales channels have included QVC. Pranda jewelry is currently manufactured in Thailand and Viet Nam. They make jewelry in 925 silver, 10k, 14k, 18k,24k or 999 gold. We’ve seen rings from Pranda with natural gemstones including diamond.
We are unable to tell from your photos what stones your grandmothers 925 ring has. However, given the pale green / yellow tint its possible they could be Prasiolite, which is a yellow-green to green variety of quartz. CZ is another option but CZ is usually colourless without yellow tinting. Either way the cut quality is not great and the stones together with the ring have clearly had a decent amount of wear and tear. We suggest you ask a gemmologist / jeweler to test the stones and adjust the setting because one prong is not securely holding a stone. Age wise, we’d date the ring at being around 30 years old.
PHOTO: What does pd inside a heart mean when stamped on a 925 ring? The answer is silver jewelry signed 925 pd in a heart is the work of the Pranda jewelry group of Thailand. They manufacture jewelry on behalf of many brands.
Mary
My ring has the stamp ss925 but after that it has a star with an F inside it. Its ruby and diamonds. Or it could be garnet.
Ralph Ede
Hi Mary,
You’ve asked about a ring stamped ss 925 followed by a marking of an F inside a star. You further note the 925 ring is set with diamonds and ruby or possibly garnet.
We break the meaning of the jewelry markings down as follows.
The ss 925 is shorthand for sterling silver 925. Sterling silver is an alloy that is made of 92.5% actual silver, with the rest of the metal made up of base metals like copper.
The F inside a star is the jeweler’s makers mark. A capital F inside a five pointed star (see photo below of a 925 ring with an F in a star marking) is the makers mark of Tara Jewels Private Limited, formerly of Mumbai, India. TARA ( तारा ) means “the shining stars in the sky” in Sanskrit, with the original company being founded in 2001 but liquidated due to bankruptcy in 2019.
You should probably have the gemstones tested by a competent gemmologist or jeweller but there’s a good chance the ring is indeed set with natural diamond and ruby because Tara Jewels Exports Pvt. Ltd. (TJEPL), was engaged in cutting and polishing of diamonds for the Tara Group and became a DTC sight holder (an of authorized bulk purchaser of rough diamonds) in 2005. DTC Sightholders as you may be aware were essentially the direct clients of De Beers.
During its hay day Tara was a significant player in the business of manufacturing and export of diamond studded jewellery. It manufactured jewelry in 925 silver and gold and employed a retail partner model wherein the company supplied jewellery to international brands and jewellery retailers. In the US market Tara supplied jewelry to Zale Corp, Walmart, JCPenney and Sterling Jewelers, Inc (part of the Signet Group). It is likely your 925 ring was originally sold via one of these channels and that your 925 ring is no more than 20 years old.
PHOTO: What does F inside a star mean when stamped on a 925 ring? The answer is that silver jewelry signed ss 925 F star or F inside a five pointed star was the work of Tara Jewels Limited or Tara Jewels Exports Pvt. Ltd of India. Tara was an integrated player in the jewelry industry with presence in designing, manufacture and retailing of diamond studded jewelry.
brookylnafgc
Hi Ralph, I’ve been wondering about hallmarks in my 925 ring. You might know what the meaning of this hallmark it does have a logo like a number 8 in horizontal with a dot at the tip of it. Hope you could help me identify its meaning? Thanks.
Ralph Ede
Hi Brookyln,
You’ve asked about a 925 ring with a hallmark that looks like a number 8 in a horizontal position with a dot at the tip of it.
Unfortunately this is insufficient information to provide a definite response. One possibility however is that your 925 ring was manufactured for or by Sigma Gold Incorporated (USA) formerly of East Providence RI. One of the makers marks of Sigma Gold Inc. was a sideways figure 8 or a stretched or stylised infinity symbol which on better / cleaner stamped jewelry items is actually comprises of two intertwined S’s with dots appearing at the intersecting points. This 925 infinity symbol jewelry marking looks very much like the “number 8 in a horizontal position with a dot at the tip of it” which you describe. See the below photo of the makers mark.
We understand the brand today is under the Leach Garner group of Attleboro MA, which itself is under the portfolio of the Richline Group – a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. LeachGarner nowadays is a global precious metal supplier rather than a supplier of finished 925 jewelry. They fabricate and distribute precious metal alloys, mill products and jewelry findings to a number of industries including electronics, medical, automotive and jewelry. LeachGarner has sales, distribution and manufacturing facilities in the US, Hong Kong and China.
If the possible answer is correct and the infinity like mark on your 925 ring is the work of Sigma Gold then this would date the 925 ring from the late 1980’s.
PHOTO: What does an infinity symbol with dots mean when stamped on a 925 ring? One possible answer is the maker of this 925 jewelry was Sigma Gold Inc.
Sandy Maxwell
Thank you!! I do not have anything to have to identify at this time. I just wanted to say thank you for such a WONDERFUL site. It is full of great information and I really appreciate all the time it took for you to go through all these. Hope you have a great day!
Ralph Ede
Hello Sandy,
We thank you for the kind words and are glad to know that readers appreciate and find the blog helpful.
Ralph Ede
Looking for information on the meaning a mark or symbol on a 925 ring or other jewelry?
Visit our database
Jewelry Makers Marks Database
Melanie Bick
Hi! I have purchased a silver onyx necklace and bracelet with markings of CG 925. What does that mean? Thank you so much in advance!
Ralph Ede
Hi Melanie,
You’ve asked about a silver onyx necklace and bracelet with markings of CG 925.
Unfortunately, you’ve not provided a photo or photo link of the 925 jewelry markings so there is insufficient information to provide a definite response.
One possible answer is that CG is the makers mark. A number of makers use the CG mark and variations therefore but given your location, the use of onyx (a semi-precious stone) its possible your jewelry was made for CHARLES GARNIER, a brand which was under the umbrella of Gold Brands Holdings Inc, before being acquired by Prime Art & Jewel; PAJ Inc. a large jewelry manufacturer and distributor based in Dallas, TX. PAJ has been in business for 40 years and has a large OEM / ODM customer base, making jewelry for top jewelry brands including ELLE.
The most common makers mark used by Charles Garnier is a typeset capital C and capital G with a three leaf cover symbol in between (see photo below) though some jewelry under the umbrella is simply stamped “CG 925”.
PHOTO: What does CG925 mean on jewelry? The answer is CG is commonly associated with Charles Garnier, a brand acquired by PAJ Inc of Dallas TX and 925 indicates the material purity.
Latrelle Thibodeaux
Please, what does the LNT 925 IN mark stand for when stamped on jewelry?
Ralph Ede
Hello Latrelle,
You’ve asked what LNT 925 IN mark stands for when stamped on jewelry.
We break it down as follows.
LNT is the makers mark. Maker’s marks are typically the initials of the jeweller or name of the manufacturing firm or symbols which officially mark the jewelry as belonging to a certain jewelry maker.
Our database indicates the LNT jewelry mark as belonging to Orchid Jewelry Manufacturing Inc. Orchid Jewelry Mfg. Inc. predominantly sold 925 silver jewelry on various platforms like Amazon, eBay and Sears. Some of its jewelry is set in 10K and 14K gold and studded with precious and semi precious gemstones and more rarely diamond. Orchid Jewelry has an office in State of New York with manufacturing branches in India, China and Thailand. Orchid’s ODM clients include JTV with them making jewelry which is ultimately sold under JTV’s exclusive Bella Luca® brand.
The 925 stamp is the millesimal fineness mark for the purity of silver alloy. Sterling silver has a millesimal fineness of 925. This mark on your 925 jewelry attests the silver alloy is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or other metals.
Finally, the IN in the LNT 925 IN jewelry mark sequence is a location mark i.e. attests to where the jewelry is physically manufactured. The IN stamp on jewelry – as used here – means this 925 jewelry item was made in the Republic of India.
PHOTO: What does LNT 925 IN mean when stamped on jewelry? The answer is LNT is the makers mark, 925 is silver purity and the jewelry item is made in India.
Latrelle Thibodeaux
Fabulous !
thank you for the clarification !
Bill
I have a sterling silver ring and it’s stamped 925 LV (the V is upside down). It’s a very nice 925 ring with diamonds across the top. I received the ring from my grandmother and just trying to find out as much as I can about the ring. Thanks.
Ralph Ede
Hello Bill,
You’ve asked about a 925 ring which is stamped 925 L Λ i.e. 925 L followed by an inverted V.
Breaking it down, 925 is millesimal fineness mark for silver. Therefore the metal content of this 925 ring is likely 92.5% silver which is alloyed with some other base metal to strengthen it, typically copper but could include zinc and nickel. Silver is a precious metal and its value is projected to increase during this period of economic uncertainty.
The L with inverted V stamp is a makers mark. As you are likely aware, a makers mark identifies the manufacturer, jeweler or brand responsible for the jewelry’s design and/or distribution.
Our database found two jewelry makers using the L inverted V jewelry stamp. Based on the photo you provided the closest match and thus possible maker of this ring is L.A. Gem and Jewelery Design Inc of Los Angeles, USA. Nowadays you see this 925 LA mark product marketed under various pseudo brands some examples being ShineTM and “Love is ForeverTM”. The A in the LA 925 stamp is often stylized looks like an “upside down V” as you observed i.e. LΛ 925. There is no location mark on the ring but it is likely to be made offshore with LA Gem having products manufactured in Thailand and China.
As to the stones in the ring we very much doubt they are diamonds, as diamonds are more typically set in stronger and even more precious metals such as gold and platinum. However, a professional jeweller could inspect and test the stones if you were interested in a definitive answer on that.
PHOTO: What does 925 LΛ mean when stamped on jewelry? The answer is an L with an upside down V is a makers mark which belongs to L.A. Gem and Jewelery Design Inc of Los Angeles, CA.
Тетяна
Hi Ralph!
My name is Tanya, I’m from Ukraine. My search for sterling silver markings led me to
to this forum. You are doing a great job. I am very grateful to you for the detailed information you give to people like me.)
I bought a bracelet.
The pendant is inscribed “Lutz sterling”.
The seller in the description indicated that the bracelet was made by a German brand.
Lutz and Weiss.
I have not been able to find confirmation of this on the internet.
The Lutz & Weiss signs I’ve seen look different.
Can you help me with this marking?
For clarity of understanding, I can send a photo, but I have not yet figured out how to do it in the comments. Thanks in advance for your help.
Ralph Ede
Hello Tanya,
Seller’s descriptions should be carefully researched before purchase. A genuine Lutz & Weiss bracelet will be stamped with the makers mark which is a stylised L & W wordmark contained within a Shield OR “L&W coat of arms”. Further, the silver bracelet should also carry further stamps including a precious metal “purity mark”, typically 800 indicating the fineness in thousands of the silver and a German hallmark stamp to attest the purity. Be advised that the German hallmark for silver is a crescent and crown (Halbmond und Reichskrone). See the below photos for reference. I hope this helps.
PHOTO: Typical markings found on Lutz & Weiss (Lutz & Weiß GmbH) silverware. While founded in 1882 jewellery production didn’t commence until the late 1940’s.
Lauren Krajenta
I have a 925 silver rhinestone ring with the markings Al. The l is slanted. Looking at the marking photo I have it is not a backwood J which seems to leave out Andin International as the maker/manufacturer. Is there another jeweler with the initials of Al? Thank you for your help.
Ralph Ede
Hello Lauren,
Regarding the A/ stamp on your 925 silver rhinestone ring, you would need to send us a clear photo of the mark.
Please bear in mind that the visual representation of any mark can change with wear and age and also significantly depend on whether the mark was ‘struck’ with a traditional steel punch or a laser was used to burn the makers mark into the silver. For the former great variations can occur depending on how punch strikes. The Andin International mark (now Richline Group) is not a backward J, it’s actually a Hebrew character which depending on the strike can appear to look like an A followed by a slanted I or a forward slash looking symbol i.e. A/. If the slash on your 925 ring does not reach above the top of the A then it’s highly likely your 925 ring is a circa 1990’s Andin International product. Andin rose to become one of the largest jewelry manufacturing companies in the USA with product being retailed via JC Penny, Sears, Macy’s, KOHL’s and others. The Richline Group, the largest jewelry distributor in the United States, which is owned by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway acquired Andin in 2009.
PHOTO: What does an AI mark mean when stamped on jewelry? The answer is AI is the makers mark of Andin International which today is a brand owned by the Richline Group.
Ashlee
Hi Ralph!
I recently found a ring on an empty beach of Lake Michigan. It’s silver with a center sapphire with two diamonds on either side (I’m assuming the gems are lab-created). BE925CN is stamped on the inside. I know the 92.5% sterling silver part and am guessing the CN means it’s from China, but am unsure what the BE means? Looking forward to your insight!
Thanks so much!
Ralph Ede
Hello Ashlee,
You’ve asked about a 925 ring which is stamped BE 925 CN.
You are correct, the 925 mark is a declaration that the ring is made from 92.5% silver, a precious metal. Further, the CN stamp in this instance is a location mark, meaning the ring is manufactured in China PRC.
BE is the makers mark. Checking our manufacturer’s database we find the most likely answer is that BE represents Berricle LLC, an online jewelry purveyor founded in 2011 and located in Whitestone, NY. If correct this would mean that the stones in your 925 ring are not natural precious sapphire and diamond or even lab created stones. The stones used are most likely clear and colored cubic zirconia (cz) with the previous owner possibly buying the faux diamond ring for travel. A trained jeweler or gemmologist could inspect the stones and provide a more definitive reply on the stones if needed.
.
PHOTO: What does BE 925 CN mean on jewelry? The answer is BE is the makers mark for Berricle LLC of NY.
Betty
What a incredible resource you are! I have a cuff bracelet marked SU 925 TH. The SU is inside a circle. It is likely twisted 3-4 mm wire with beaded floret caps and a pyramid shaped faceted clear crystal-like stone on each end. From reading the responses to questions the SU is perhaps a makers mark and the TH means Thailand. Does that sound reasonable?
Ralph Ede
Hello Betty,
You’ve asked about 925 jewelry which is marked SU 925 TH and what the SU 925 TH stamps mean? You note the SU mark is contained within a circle.
You’ve correctly answered most of the question yourself. Well done. SU is indeed the makers mark and TH as used here does indeed mean the 925 jewelry is manufactured in Thailand.
As mentioned SU is the jewellers makers mark and looking up our database we find the SU mark to belong to Roman & Sunstone which nowadays is a division of iStar Group of Pine Brook NJ. The iStar Group is a family of companies that specialise in the design, wholesale and distribution of predominately fashion jewellery.
Manufacturing of its jewelry products is outsourced and done offshore, mostly in Thailand, India and China. The company sells a variety of jewellery products, including necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pendants and pins to major department stores in the United States including KOHLS and Macys.
PHOTO: What does SU 925 TH mean on jewelry? The answer is SU is the makers mark of Roman & Sunstone, a division of iStar Group of NJ.
Jennifer
Wow! I haven’t had any luck finding a site that can answer people’s jewelry questions so clearly/often! I was given a set if earrings marked CPT 925. I found jewelry with same mark listed for resale but no info on the maker or distributor. Any idea?
Ralph Ede
Hi Jennifer,
You’ve asked about 925 earrings which are marked CPT 925.
CPT is the makers mark. The mark belonged to C.P. Trading Co, a jewelry wholesaler which was located in Brooklyn, NY. It appears that most of their jewelry was sourced from Thailand and some of their 925 rings and other 925 jewelry also include a mark to indicate Thai manufacture, i.e. CPT 925 TH or CPT 925 THAILAND. It appears most CPT stamped jewelry used precious metals and many also incorporated semi-precious stones such as Onyx, Topaz, Amethyst, Garnet etc into the design. Sterling silver jewelry marked CPT is typically about 30 years old.
We hope that helps.
PHOTO: What does CPT 925 mean on jewelry? The answer is CPT is the makers mark of C.P. Trading Co, of Brooklyn, NY.
Savanna
Ok my ring says 925 STE ♦️ BEE and it’s got an oval around it. And of course the diamond isn’t red.
Ralph Ede
Is there a please in there anywhere Savanna? In any case if you scroll you will find we’ve already given an opinion on the meaning of those 925 ring markings.
Marie Bauer
hello.
I Have a 3 stone 925 BZ Ring. What do these markings mean?
Ralph Ede
Hello Marie,
You’ve asked about a 3 stone 925 ring which is marked 925 BZ.
Breaking it down, 925 is millesimal fineness mark for silver. Therefore the metal content of this 925 ring is likely 92.5% silver which is alloyed with some other base metal to strengthen it, typically copper but could include zinc and nickel. Silver is a precious metal and its value is projected to increase during this period of economic uncertainty.
BZ is likely a maker’s mark. A makers mark identifies the manufacturer, jeweler or brand responsible for the jewelry’s design and/or distribution.
Unfortunately the information you’ve provided insufficient to have high certainty on the maker. If the mark is capitalized i.e. BZ its likely the marker is Bogarz Inc. of Sun Valley, CA. Established in 1976 Bogarz is a manufacturer and designer of jewelry and offers a range of products, including rings, pendants, bracelets, necklaces, earrings and nameplates. It specializes in designs, such as birth stone, engraved, nameplate and family name jewelry. Products are made in various metals including 925, 10K gold, 14K gold and gold plating over bronze. Bogarz also undertakes private label work and sells jewelry to retailers and independent jewelers. Please note that some of their jewelry is marked S925 BZ and found its way to global markets including Germany. Jewelry marked Bz and B.Z. is the work of a different maker.
PHOTO: What does 925 BZ mean on jewelry?
Joy
I bought a silver mesh bracelet marked 925 with no other marks at a charity shop for $3. I polished off the tarnish but the interior of the bracelet looks brassy. I thought the 925 mark meant it is sterling silver but the appearance makes me think it is plated. What is it?
Ralph Ede
Hello Joy,
It seems probable that your 925 marked bracelet is actually silver plated. The base metal could possibly be brass which is then electroplated with a non-standardized and usually very thin thickness of precious silver. Over time, the jewelry rubs against skin and it wears down the thin plated layer and exposes the base metal underneath. Copper and brass are commonly used base metals. Copper has a reddish brown color whereas brass generally has a bright yellow-golden hue. However, both base metal colors darken over time.
Among the popular precious metals, silver is among the common counterfeited metal, since lots of cheap metals, alloys and thin platings can be used to imitate genuine silver. Jewelry markings such as “S925”, “.925”, and “925” should attest that the jewelry is genuine 92.5% silver but sometimes the stamp is fraudulent. The 925 mark can be stamped on any metal.
What can you do to avoid this in the future?
First, observe that if a jewelry deal is too good to be true – it probably isn’t true. In your example, silver is a precious metal and a lot of silver is needed to make a silver mesh bracelet. A typical good quality women’s silver mesh bracelet will weigh around 50 grams. The raw material cost of 925 silver alone is around US$40 so you should be deeply suspicious if such a piece is being sold for just US$3.
Second, to assist in guaranteeing authenticity it is very important to know the source of the jewelry. Genuine 925 jewelry will nearly always have a maker’s mark stamped or otherwise signed on it. We’ve identified many such makers marks in this blog. We note your 925 bracelet did not have a makers or manufacturers mark and we urge you and all readers to never to buy second hand silver jewelry without such a mark.
Carolyn Cook
Hello! How lucky I am to find this site! I bought a vintage piece as a gift and I’ve been trying to track down where it came from. At first I had assumed it was probably just a mass market piece from the 70’s, but I have reverse searched the picture every way imaginable and not found it anywhere. It’s a sterling silver cross with turquoise and amethyst stones. It looks like a Native American designed piece, and while that would be wonderful, I know that means nothing. The stamp has the .925 copyright and what appears to be a single encircled M as the mark. This is a pic of the mark, which I will also link in the website box. Any thoughts? Thank you!
Ralph Ede
Hello Carolyn,
You’ve asked about a sterling silver cross which is marked .925 © (M).
Thanks for using the link URL to provide a linked photo of the jewelry marks. It’s near impossible to identify 925 / silver makers marks without a photo of them. We are unable to answer most questions we receive about jewelry markings because a written description alone is inadequate.
In reply to your question on jewelry stamped .925 © (M), your initial assumption was accurate. This near vintage jewelry (technically to be ‘vintage’ jewelry must be >50 years old) is a mass market item which likely dates in the 1980’s – 1990’s period. This is not a ‘Native American’ designed piece, though the design and materials of the 925 cross do have a South Western design influence. Genuine Native American jewelry (there’s loads of counterfeit) is not typically mass produced. Native American jewelry is mostly hand crafted and carry distinctive maker signatures.
Turning now to the makers mark, the mark itself is not an encircled M, but an M inside parentheses. The mark uses something like a Times New Roman font letter with typographical serif’s added to the M letter. However, stamping is variable and the letter M appears sans-serif on some jewelry. See a photo of the mark below.
The (M) mark once belonged to Morning Sun Inc., a corporation based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Morning Sun Inc., was a sterling silver jewelry manufacturing company established in 1974. Morning Sun mass produced sterling silver jewelry with a variety of finishes including some gold plated. Some of their 925 jewelry is marked STERLING (M) instead of 925 (M).
Morning Sun acted primarily as a jewelry distributor selling 925 jewelry wholesale to big box retailers, large jewelry mail order companies and via television shopping channels. The 925 rings and other 925 jewelry appeared to be of reasonable quality and often incorporated semi-precious gemstones such as Black Onyx, Lapis Lazuli, Turquoise, amethyst, peridot, sodalite, Moonstone, etc. The business closed permanently in 2005.
PHOTO: Jewelry marked .925 © (M) is the work of Morning Sun Inc. formerly of Albuquerque, NM.
Hannah
Hi! I have a ring with 10k SAI and a copyright symbol stamped inside. Does that mean it’s Samuel Aaron?
Thank you!
Ralph Ede
Hello Hannah,
You’ve asked about a ring which is stamped SAI © 10K i.e. SAI followed by a copyright symbol located on the inside band of the ring.
It appears that you read our earlier reply to this. While this blog focuses on 925 ring markings we can confirm that the SAI makers mark as mentioned above and seen in the below photo is the work of Samuel Aaron Inc, of Mount Vernon, NY.
By way of added information, the Samuel Aaron Inc. Mount Vernon plant closed in 2017. The Richline Group, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, bought the Aaron Group in the same year. The New York City-based Richline Group is a very large jewelry supplier whose brands have included LeachGarner, Michael Anthony Jewelers, Inc., DIAMONLUXE, Rio Grande, Richline Jewelry, Gemvara, Silpada and more.
PHOTO: Jewelry marked SAI © 10K is work of Samuel Aaron Inc, formerly of Mount Vernon, NY.
Charisse
Hi would like to know what the meaning of AK 925 is. I have a ring that has a mark on it. I’ve been looking and researching the meaning of it. hope you can help me.
Ralph Ede
Hello Charisse,
You’ve asked about a 925 ring which is marked AK 925.
Breaking it down, 925 is millesimal fineness mark for silver. Therefore the metal content of this 925 ring is likely 92.5% silver which is alloyed with some other base metal to strengthen it, typically copper but could include zinc and nickel. Silver is a precious metal.
AK is likely a maker’s mark. A makers mark identifies the manufacturer, jeweler or brand responsible for the jewelry’s design and/or distribution.
Unfortunately, the information you’ve provided insufficient to have high level of certainty on the maker. We’d need a link to a photo of the 925 ring markings so we can see it.
A number of jewelry manufacturers and designers use the AK stamp on jewelry. If the mark is capitalized i.e. AK, it is possibly the work of fashion brand Anne Klein which markets its products via a range of US retailers such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Amazon, T. J. Maxx, and Walmart. The Anne Klein brand is owned by WHP Global of NY.
Anne Klein mostly focuses on fashion rather than precious jewelry and much of their current work is classic gold-tone earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, watches, pins, and brooches. There are also some silver-tone pieces. These accessories often incorporated textured matte and glossy metal, colored enamel, glass cabochons, rhinestones, and faux pearls. Brass appears to be used as the base metal for their fashion jewelry.
A limited amount of their work was set in precious metals such as 925 sterling silver. This jewelry sometimes used semi-precious or lab created stones including opal and amethyst. The silver stamp marks on this 925 jewelry sometimes included a copyright symbol next to the AK jewelers makers mark.
Christy Esworthy
Hi! I purchased a bracelet with the word “SILVER” on the clasp. The lady I purchased it from said it tested positive for sterling silver. The bracelet has large purple stones (or glass?) and is surrounded by silver Is there a way to date the age of the piece by the clasp and marking of “SILVER”?
Ralph Ede
Hello Christy,
No. We can’t date the age of a piece of jewelry merely by the use of a “SILVER” marking.
The most common marks to denote the use of silver in jewelry are 925, STERLING, STERLING SILVER, STER, STG and SS. Sometimes silver is of a different purity and that’s reflected in an 800, 950, 958, 990 etc. markings.
It’s not recommended or good practice to merely stamp SILVER on jewelry. Indeed, most professional jewelers and jewelry makers won’t do that.
The reason is unlike all the above markings “SILVER” tells you nothing about the purity of the silver.
The worst case situation is that jewelry could be nickel silver, sometimes dubbed ‘German silver’. Nickel silver usually contains a 60% copper base metal, 20% nickel, and 20% zinc. It contains no precious silver at all but has the appearance of silver being a silver-white in color.
We are not saying your bracelet is nickel silver, it could be sterling silver, but because of the marking, we’d encourage you to have a jeweller test it.
Robin Brown
I have a ring marked 925 CZ GOC. What does this mean? Does the ring have real diamond?
Ralph Ede
Hello Robin,
You’ve asked about a 925 ring which is marked 925 CZ GOC and you want to know the meaning of these markings.
We break it down as follows:
925 is millesimal fineness mark for silver. Therefore, the metal content of this 925 ring is likely 92.5% silver which is alloyed with some other base metal to strengthen it, typically copper but could include zinc and nickel. Silver is a precious and valuable metal.
CZ is a material mark. This identifies the stone or stones in your ring as being cubic zirconia and NOT diamond as you have asked. Cubic zirconia is a widely used simulated diamond. Simulated diamonds are mostly man-made stones that closely resemble natural diamonds in appearance. These stones are often created in a laboratory setting using various materials and techniques to mimic the characteristics of real diamonds. Simulated diamonds are frequently often used as more affordable alternatives to natural diamonds, offering consumers a similar look without the high price tag.
Finally, GOC is the makers mark. A makers mark identifies the manufacturer, jeweler or brand responsible for the jewelry’s design and/or distribution. A 925 ring signed GOC is the work of Gems One Corporation of New York. Manufacturing was largely done offshore in India. Gems One Corp also made jewelry in gold so some jewelry is accordingly stamped 10K or 14K GOC. Today the business trades as Gems One Trading and it continues to supply independent jewelry stores throughout the USA with jewelry product, mostly 14K gold, set with low grade diamonds.
PHOTO: What does 925 jewelry signed GOC mean? Jewelry signed 925 GOC is usually the work of Gems One Corporation of NY, USA.
Levi Galindo
I have a bracelet that is mark KA 1772 925 on it, who would be the maker?
Ralph Ede
Hello Levi,
You have asked what KA 1772 means on jewelry stamped 925.
KA 1772 is a makers mark of Karizia S.P.A., an Italian jewellery manufacturer located in Cassola, a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. Karizia was established about 37 years ago.
Karizia is a leading manufacturer of sterling silver chains, all made with an eye on italian style and fashion. In addition to the design and manufacture of 925 silver chains, bracelets, necklaces, anklets and some 925 rings the company has produced jewelry in gold vermeil, 14K gold and gold plating over silver. Some of Karizia’s jewelry will include a location stamp as well i.e. 925 ITALY KA 1772.
PHOTO: What does 925 KA 1772 mean? 925 is a purity mark for silver and KA 1772 is the makers mark for Karizia S.P.A of Italy.