Considering how much the Internet has advanced over the last decade, it’s no surprise that you can now look up your rings online. All you need is the Google Lens app on your phone. With it, you can take a picture of your ring.
The app will search the Internet and find what type of jewelry it is. Just make sure the image isn’t fuzzy. The clear it is, the more accurate the results will be.
How is jewelry hallmarked?
When hallmarking first emerged, most jewelry pieces were branded by a steel punch. Since precious metals are much softer than ordinary ones, the great force left a stamp on the jewelry piece. However, it could sometimes damage the ring. In rare cases, it could shatter it completely.
Nowadays, most rings are stamped with a laser. The concentrated beam can engrave the desired sign onto the surface. It seldom leads to damage. Moreover, it’s a much more precise method.
The marks are permanent and extremely useful for identifying accessories such as rings, bracelets, and earrings. They can tell you whether your jewelry is made of real gold or not. This quality greatly affects its resell value. For instance, most people will stay away from gold-filled or gold-plated accessories.
While it’s theoretically possible to fake these stamps, it’s incredibly difficult. The machinery necessary might not even be worth the ring’s value. But before you attempt it, know that it’s a punishable offense.
Doing so will have grave consequences – you could spend several years in prison. For the most part, stamps are a foolproof way to determine the quality of your jewelry.
Which of the following stamps do you see on your jewelry?
- S
- 925
- Plat
- Pt
- 417
Conclusion
Most jewelry pieces bear some kind of a hallmark, and the most frequent stamps are brand initials and purity. The purity can be expressed in either karats or three-digit numbers.
These stamps mean that your accessory is authentic because it’s difficult to duplicate them. If you’re looking for quality pieces, you should stay away from GP and GF stamps. It means the accessory is merely coated in gold, making it cheap and fragile.
