How do you read a UK gold hallmark?
Look for the number. It is the fineness mark, the parts of pure gold per thousand: 375 means 9ct, 585 is 14ct, 750 is 18ct, 916 is 22ct. Beside it sit the maker’s initials and the assay office symbol. The stamp records intended purity only, so GoldPaid XRF-tests every item to confirm the real content.
Seen a 575 or 373 stamp? Neither is a recognised UK fineness mark: 575 is usually a non-standard or misread 585 (14ct) stamp, often on imported pieces, and 373 is typically a worn or misstruck 375 (9ct). Genuine foreign standards such as 333 (8ct German), 417 (10ct American), 583 (Soviet 14ct) and 875 (21ct Gulf, and also a Soviet silver mark) are explained in what 417, 333, 583, 585 and 875 mean on gold. A rolled gold mark is not a hallmark at all, it indicates a thin layer of gold over base metal, and in every case the XRF assay, not the stamp, settles what the item is actually made of.
What is a hallmark, and what does it certify?
You do not need to understand hallmarks to sell with GoldPaid, every item is tested by XRF spectrometry on arrival, so the offer is based on measured fact, not the stamp. But knowing how to read your own marks helps you understand roughly what you have before you post gold for valuation from anywhere in the UK. If you would rather just ask, send a clear photo on WhatsApp and we will talk you through it.
What do the gold fineness numbers mean?
UK gold is marked with its millesimal fineness, the parts of pure gold per thousand. That number maps directly onto the carat (ct) system most people know. The higher the number, the more pure gold the item contains, and the more it is worth per gram.
| Carat | Fineness mark | Other stamps you may see | Pure gold content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9ct | 375 | 9k, 9ct, .375 | 37.5% |
| 14ct | 585 | 14k, .585 | 58.5% |
| 18ct | 750 | 18k, 18ct, .750 | 75.0% |
| 22ct | 916 | 22k, .916 | 91.6% |
| 24ct | 999 | 24k, .999, fine gold | 99.9% |
9ct and 18ct are by far the most common in British jewellery. 14ct is more typical of imported and American pieces. 22ct is common in Indian and Middle Eastern jewellery, so 916 marks turn up most often in cities with long-established Asian gold traditions, and GoldPaid buys 22ct gold and silver from Leicester by post rather than over a counter. 24ct is rarely used for wearable jewellery because it is too soft. It is mostly seen in coins and bars. Whatever the carat, GoldPaid pays for the confirmed gold content; see how we value gold for the exact method.
Which three marks make up a UK hallmark?
A full modern UK hallmark has three compulsory parts, usually stamped in a row. Older pieces may also carry optional traditional symbols.
- The sponsor's mark. A set of initials inside a shield, the maker, manufacturer or company that submitted the item for hallmarking. It identifies who is responsible for the piece, not necessarily who designed it.
- The fineness mark. The number in an oval or shield, 375, 585, 750, 916, 999 for gold; 925 for sterling silver; 950 for platinum. This is the purity certification and the part that matters most for value.
- The assay office mark. A small symbol showing which UK assay office tested the item: a leopard's head for London, an anchor for Birmingham, a rose for Sheffield, a castle for Edinburgh.
Optional extras include a date letter (a single letter in a shaped shield showing the year of hallmarking) and traditional fineness symbols, a crown historically used on gold, and a lion passant (a side-on walking lion) used on sterling silver.
What do silver and platinum marks mean?
Silver and platinum follow the same millesimal system. The most common UK silver mark by far is 925, sterling silver, usually shown with the lion passant.
| Metal & standard | Fineness mark | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 800 silver | 800 | Common in continental European and Scandinavian pieces |
| Sterling silver | 925 | The UK standard; shown with the lion passant |
| Britannia silver | 958 | A higher silver standard, less common |
| Fine silver | 999 | Near-pure; mostly bullion bars and rounds |
| Platinum | 850 / 900 / 950 / 999 | 950 is the usual jewellery standard |
If your item is stamped EPNS, silver plated, plated or rolled gold, it is not solid precious metal, the precious content is a thin surface layer with little resale value. If you are not sure, send a photo before posting and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth sending.
Where do you find the hallmark on your jewellery?
The marks are small, often less than a millimetre across, so use good light and a magnifying glass or your phone camera's zoom.
- Rings, on the inside of the band.
- Chains and bracelets, on the clasp, on the small flat tag next to the clasp, or on an end link.
- Earrings, on the post, the butterfly back, or the hook fitting.
- Pendants and lockets, on the bail (the loop the chain passes through) or the back edge.
- Watches, inside the case back, on solid gold or silver cases.
What if there is no hallmark at all?
A missing hallmark does not mean an item is not gold or silver. Plenty of genuine precious-metal items carry no stamp at all, including gold crowns, bridges and inlays, which are cast from dental alloy, never sent for hallmarking, and perfectly legal to sell. The usual reasons a piece is unmarked:
- Pieces made below the legal hallmarking weight threshold, very light gold items in particular are often exempt. The exemption weights and the full UK hallmarking notice set the thresholds out: 1 gram for gold, 7.78 grams for silver, 0.5 grams for platinum.
- Older items made before modern marking, or where the mark has simply worn away.
- Imported jewellery that was never submitted to a UK assay office.
- Repaired or altered items where the original marked section was removed.
This is exactly why GoldPaid tests every item by XRF spectrometry rather than relying on the stamp. XRF reads the actual metal composition. It confirms whether something is gold, what carat it is, and whether it is solid or plated, with no acid, no scratching and no guesswork. You can read more on XRF testing explained.
Why is the hallmark a guide and not the final word?
A hallmark is a maker’s declaration of intended purity. The real metal content of a finished, worn piece can differ:
- Solder at clasp joints and ring sizings is often a lower carat than the body of the item.
- Repairs done over the years may have used mixed alloys.
- Replacement parts, a new clasp, a new earring back, may not match the original.
So your offer is never built from the stamp alone. Each item is XRF-assayed to confirm its true purity and weighed on calibrated scales, and your written, itemised offer is built from those measured figures. Sometimes the result is slightly below the hallmark; occasionally it is above. Either way, you are paid for exactly what is there. There is never any obligation to accept, and if you decline, your items are returned free of charge by tracked, signed-for post, see what happens if I decline the offer.
How does GoldPaid use your hallmark?
- Ask first. Tell us what marks you can see, or send a photo on WhatsApp. We will give you a quick indicative figure before anything leaves your hands.
- Request a prepaid Royal Mail label. We send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label, tracked and signed for. Your parcel travels on Royal Mail Special Delivery, and Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. No printer? We send a QR code for the Post Office counter.
- Post when you are ready. There is no deadline and no pressure.
- We XRF-assay and weigh each item. The hallmark is checked against the measured purity, so a piece marked 9ct is never paid at an 18ct rate, or the reverse.
- You see the breakdown and decide. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer; decline and everything comes back to you free of charge.
Which marks mean an item is not solid gold?
Some marks look reassuring but do not mean solid precious metal. It helps to recognise them before you decide what to post:
- Rolled gold, "RG" or "1/20 12ct". A thin gold layer bonded over a base metal. There is a little gold present, but far less than a solid item.
- Gold plated, "GP", "GEP" or "HGE". An electroplated surface layer measured in microns, with little recoverable value.
- "Gold filled" or "GF". More gold than plating, but still a bonded layer, not solid gold throughout.
- EPNS and "silver plate". Electroplated nickel silver, a plated finish rather than solid sterling.
- "925" on gold-coloured jewellery. This is sterling silver that has been gold-plated, often called vermeil; it is valued as silver.
If a piece carries one of these marks, send a photo on WhatsApp before posting and we will tell you honestly whether it is worth the trip. For the metal-content side of value, see scrap gold value and the gold price today rate table.
How do you get from a hallmark to a written offer?
Once you know roughly what your marks mean, the next step is a figure. The gold & silver calculator turns a weight and carat into an indicative estimate, and the gold price today page shows indicative per-gram rates by carat. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market. To sell, GoldPaid is postal-only: we send a free tracked label, and the parcel travels covered by Royal Mail Special Delivery, with cover that may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post. The full route is on sell gold by post UK, and the town pages cover the same steps from one postcode area, for example selling gold from Bradford by post.
Related guides
Once you know what you have, these pages explain the rest of the process: how we value gold, XRF testing explained, postage and cover, and what happens if I decline the offer. Ready to sell? See sell gold by post UK, sell scrap gold or what we buy.
Common questions
What does 375, 585, 750 or 916 mean on gold jewellery?
Those numbers are the millesimal fineness, the parts of pure gold per thousand. 375 is 9ct (37.5% gold), 585 is 14ct (58.5%), 750 is 18ct (75%), 916 is 22ct (91.6%) and 999 is 24ct (99.9%). The higher the number, the more pure gold the item contains.
Where do I find the hallmark on a ring or chain?
On a ring, look on the inside of the band. On a chain or bracelet, check the clasp, the small tag next to the clasp, or the end links. On earrings, look on the post or the back fitting. The marks are small, so a magnifying glass and good light help. If you cannot find or read a mark, send a photo on WhatsApp and we can often help identify it.
My jewellery has no hallmark, is it still worth anything?
Quite possibly. Many genuine gold items are unmarked: pieces made below the legal hallmarking weight, older or imported items, and jewellery where the mark has worn away. A missing hallmark does not mean an item is not gold. GoldPaid tests every item by XRF spectrometry, which reads the actual metal content regardless of whether a hallmark is present.
What does the lion stamp on silver mean?
The lion passant (a lion walking, shown side-on) is the traditional UK mark for sterling silver, 925 parts pure silver per thousand. You will usually see it alongside the number 925 and an assay office mark. It confirms the item is solid sterling silver rather than silver-plated.
Does the hallmark decide what GoldPaid pays me?
No. The hallmark is a useful starting point, but it is only a maker's declaration of intended purity. Repairs, solder at clasp joints and mixed alloys mean the real metal content can differ. Every item you send is XRF-assayed to confirm its actual purity and weighed on calibrated scales, and your written offer is built from those measured figures, not the stamp.
Does "RG", "GP" or "rolled gold" mean my item is worth nothing?
Those marks mean the item is plated or rolled rather than solid gold, so the gold is a thin surface layer with little recoverable value. It is rarely worth posting on its own. If it is mixed in with solid items, send it anyway; anything not worth buying is simply returned at no cost.
I have a "925" mark on gold-coloured jewellery. Is it gold?
No. 925 is the sterling silver standard. Gold-coloured jewellery stamped 925 is sterling silver with a gold plating, often called vermeil. It is valued as silver, not gold. The silver price today page shows indicative per-gram silver rates.
How do I turn my hallmark into an actual price?
Once you know the carat, the gold & silver calculator gives an indicative figure from a weight and carat, and the gold price today page shows indicative rates. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
How do I read a UK gold hallmark?
A UK gold hallmark has four core marks: the sponsor (maker) mark identifying who submitted the item, the fineness number in parts per thousand (375 = 9ct, 585 = 14ct, 750 = 18ct, 916 = 22ct, 999 = 24ct), the standard shape (an oval for gold), and the assay-office mark (leopard's head for London, anchor for Birmingham, Yorkshire rose for Sheffield, three-towered castle for Edinburgh). A date letter is optional from 1999 onwards.
Is it legal to sell gold without a hallmark in the UK?
Yes, for a private seller. The Hallmarking Act 1973 only restricts describing unhallmarked items as gold in the course of a trade or business, so selling your own unmarked jewellery to a dealer is entirely legal. The buyer simply establishes the metal content by testing rather than relying on a stamp. The Act also exempts whole categories from hallmarking: gold items under 1 gram, silver under 7.78 grams, platinum under 0.5 gram, and items made before 1950 that meet the minimum fineness. GoldPaid XRF-tests every item, so unhallmarked pieces are valued exactly like marked ones.
Can a gold hallmark be faked?
Yes, though forged marks are rarer than people fear. Counterfeiting a UK hallmark is a criminal offence under the Hallmarking Act 1973 carrying up to ten years in prison, so most misleading stamps are unofficial marks, a bare 750 or 18K on plated metal, rather than forged assay-office punches. A stamp alone proves nothing either way, which is why no reputable buyer pays on the stamp: XRF assay reads the actual alloy, so a fake mark cannot inflate an offer and a genuine unmarked piece is never underpaid.
What does 333 mean on gold jewellery?
333 is the German 8 carat standard: 33.3% pure gold. It is a genuine fineness mark, common on jewellery bought in Germany, but it sits below the UK legal minimum for gold of 375 (9ct), so a UK trader cannot describe or sell it as gold. It still contains real gold and is bought for its assayed content, at roughly a ninth less per gram than 9ct. Very light 333 pieces may not be worth posting on their own; send a photo first and GoldPaid will say honestly whether it is worth sending.
My gold was bought abroad and has no UK hallmark. Can I still sell it?
Yes. Jewellery bought in Dubai, India, Turkey, Italy or elsewhere rarely carries a UK hallmark, and that makes no difference to the offer. GoldPaid values imported pieces by XRF assay and weight, exactly as it does fully hallmarked British items, so a bare 750, 916 or 585 stamp is not a problem. Foreign marks read differently: Italian gold usually carries a star and a maker number, Indian 22ct is often stamped 916 or 916 KDM, and older Russian gold reads 583. The stamp is treated as a claim to verify, not a certificate. Only a UK trader retailing the piece as gold would need it hallmarked first.
Can I tell how old my gold jewellery is from the hallmark?
Often, yes. A full UK hallmark can include a date letter, a single letter in a shaped shield, and the combination of letter, font and shield outline identifies the exact year of assay. Assay office records run back centuries, so a clear date letter can pin a British piece to a single year. The date letter became optional on 1 January 1999, so many modern items cannot be dated this way, and imported pieces never could. It also dates the hallmarking, not necessarily the making: items are marked when submitted for assay, occasionally years after they were made. The date letter chart guide on this site walks through the shields.
Is hallmarked gold worth more than unhallmarked gold?
For scrap value, no. A gold buyer pays for measured purity and weight, so a hallmarked 9ct chain and an unmarked chain that assays at 9ct are worth the same per gram. Where a hallmark genuinely adds value is resale as jewellery, particularly antique pieces with a readable date letter. If your item is antique, signed by a known maker or unusual, a specialist auction house may pay more than its metal value, and that route, not a postal gold buyer, is the right one. Send a photo first and GoldPaid will say so if a piece looks like it deserves an auction rather than the scales.
What do the marks on platinum jewellery mean?
UK platinum is hallmarked with its fineness in parts per thousand, 850, 900, 950 or 999, with 950 the usual jewellery standard; the orb is platinum's traditional UK symbol. Stamps such as PLAT, PT or PT950 are common on imported and vintage pieces and indicate platinum without being hallmarks. Unmarked white metal is genuinely ambiguous: white gold, platinum, palladium and silver can look identical to the eye. XRF assay identifies which metal it is without damaging the piece, so an unmarked platinum ring is still recognised and paid at platinum rates.
Should I get my jewellery hallmarked before selling it?
No, not if you are selling for metal value. Hallmarking costs a fee per article, means sending the piece to an assay office, and adds nothing to a scrap offer, because a buyer pays on assayed content either way. Only a trader planning to retail unhallmarked items as gold needs them marked. The legal duty sits with businesses selling in the course of trade, not with private owners. If you are selling to GoldPaid, skip it entirely: the XRF assay establishes purity at no cost to you, and the written offer is built from that measurement.
Request a free prepaid Royal Mail label
Tell us where to send it. The label arrives by email, usually within about 30 minutes during working hours. Requesting one commits you to nothing: you get a written offer after the XRF assay, and if you decline, your items come back to you free.
Would you rather ask a question first, or send a photo? Message us on WhatsApp . It is the fastest way to get a sense of what something is worth before you post anything.
Related pages
- UK silver hallmarks guide
- UK assay office marks
- How to date a UK hallmark
- How to identify fake gold
- Gold-plated vs gold-filled vs solid gold
- Rose vs yellow vs white gold
- Platinum jewellery guide
- XRF testing explained
- Sell Art Deco gold jewellery
- Sell Cartier jewellery, watches and lighters
- Sell European gold coins