Foreign gold hallmarks: a UK buyer's reference guide

Why foreign gold looks unfamiliar to UK sellers

UK gold sold new must carry a UK Assay Office mark once it passes the exemption weight (1g for gold). That is a domestic rule. Gold made and sold abroad follows the assay system of the country it was made in. When it arrives in the UK second-hand — inherited, brought back from a trip, bought at a bazaar — the original marks travel with it. They look different because the systems are different, not because the gold is fake.

We test every piece by in-house XRF regardless of what is stamped. The stamp is a starting point; the XRF reading is the fact. That means a piece with no legible mark is still tested and still paid on its measured purity. See our gold hallmark guide for UK marks.

Turkey — 585, 750, 916 and the Darphane assay

Turkish gold is common in UK parcels because of family gift traditions — wedding sets, bilezik bracelets, coins mounted as pendants. Turkish gold is routinely stamped with 585 (14ct), 750 (18ct) and 916 (22ct) fineness marks; state oversight of precious metals runs through the Darphane (the Turkish State Mint) and the Borsa Istanbul precious metals market. In UK-received parcels the fineness stamp is typically accompanied by a small maker or assay symbol.

• 916 (22ct): the classic Turkish wedding-gold standard — deep yellow, soft, high resale.
• 750 (18ct): more common in modern jewellery and gem-set pieces.
• 585 (14ct): lighter yellow, harder wearing, often chain and clasp work.

Older Ottoman-era pieces may carry a tugra (sultan's cypher) rather than a numeric fineness. Those are collectable in their own right and we sometimes advise auction instead — call us before you send them.

UAE and Dubai — 750, 875 and 916

Dubai gold sold at DGJG member shops usually carries a Dubai Central Laboratory (DCL) mark, plus a fineness. You will see 750 (18ct), 875 (21ct) and 916 (22ct). 21ct is the regional favourite — a nice compromise between colour and hardness that is uncommon in UK-made jewellery.

Italy — 750/585/375 with a province code

Italian jewellery uses fineness numbers plus a maker's mark in a diamond-shaped punch containing a number and a two-letter province code. For example, "750 12 AL" would indicate 18ct gold, maker number 12, registered in Alessandria. The province codes cover the whole peninsula — MI Milan, VI Vicenza, AR Arezzo, VE Venice and so on.

Italian chain is often thin, hollow and beautifully made. Weigh it dry — trapped water skews scales — and expect the scrap number to be based purely on gold content, not on the workmanship.

India — BIS 916 triangle since 2021

Since June 2021 the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) hallmark on gold is compulsory for new retail sale in scheduled districts. A BIS mark shows a triangle, the fineness (usually 916, 750 or 585), a six-digit alphanumeric HUID (Hallmark Unique ID) and the jeweller's identification. Older Indian gold — pre-2021 or from smaller towns — may carry only a maker's stamp or nothing at all.

22ct Indian gold is the workhorse of family collections. If the piece is unmarked but feels like 22ct, XRF will confirm it in under a minute.

Not sure how any of this applies to your own items? Send a photo on WhatsApp and ask. We answer honestly, there is no obligation, and nothing is posted until you decide. Or call 07944 014111, 8am to 9pm, 7 days a week.

Saudi Arabia — 875, 916, 999

Saudi gold typically stamps fineness directly: 875, 916 or 999. 999 is bullion-grade and appears in bar and coin form. Jewellery is usually 21ct (875) or 22ct (916). Marks are commonly Arabic-numeral punches on the clasp or bar-end.

Germany — 333, 585, 750

German jewellery uses 333 (8ct), 585 (14ct) and 750 (18ct). 333 is legal to sell as gold in Germany but pays poorly per gram — only a third of it is gold. UK customers sometimes send 333 chain expecting 9ct money and are disappointed. It is genuine gold, but it is thin gold.

USA — 10K, 14K, 18K karat stamps

American gold uses karat stamps rather than fineness: 10K (417), 14K (585), 18K (750). "GF" means gold-filled (a mechanical bond of gold sheet to base metal, not solid gold) and "GP" means gold-plated (a thin electroplated layer). GF and GP are not accepted as solid gold. If in doubt, XRF sorts it in seconds.

Soviet-era Russia — 583 predates 1994

The famous rose-gold Soviet ring is usually stamped 583 alongside a five-pointed star or the woman's-head "kokoshnik" mark. 583 is 14ct-adjacent (58.3% pure). In 1994 Russia moved to the international 585 standard, so 583 marks generally date the piece to Soviet or immediate post-Soviet manufacture.

Summary table

What if there is no legible mark?

Then the stamp cannot help you, and XRF has to. We test unmarked pieces every day. We also cross-check a suspicious mark: some fakes carry a plausible "750" stamp on brass. XRF sees through the stamp to the metal beneath and reports the true composition — gold, silver, copper, zinc, nickel — in one shot.

How to read a mark quickly at home

For the fast method see how to read a gold hallmark in 60 seconds. For the meaning of specific numbers — 417, 333, 583, 585, 875 — see what do those numbers mean on gold.

Selling foreign-hallmarked gold in the UK

The dedicated selling page for foreign-hallmarked pieces is sell foreign gold — it walks through the ID, payment (Faster Payments to a UK account in the seller's name) and postal cover specifics that come up on Turkish, Dubai, Italian, Indian and Saudi parcels. Every piece is XRF-tested on arrival and priced on the assayed content rather than the stamp.

Common questions

Related guides

Reference pages

• Gold price today, UK rates
• Silver price today, UK rates
• UK gold hallmark guide
• How we value gold