Rings Fine Jewelry – Using Marking to Value Your Precious Piece
Rings fine jewelry markings are used to identify the composition of the metal used to make your piece of jewelry. Identifying the type of metal goes a long way in knowing how to value your precious piece of jewelry.
How to Identify Markings on Gold Jewelry
In order to easily determine what your piece of jewelry is made of, you can look at the markings.
24 Karat: Pure gold is stamped 24K or 999 indicating it is 99.9% pure gold. Beware when purchasing 24 karat gold jewelry. In its purest form, gold is too soft and malleable. It is not a good choice for most jewelry.
18 Karat: 18 Karat gold is stamped either 18K or 750 to indicate it is 75% gold.
14 Karat: 14 Karat gold is stamped either 14K or 585 to indicate 58.5% gold.
10 Karat: 10 Karat gold is stamped 10K. It may also be marked 417, but is less common.
KP: KP means Karat Plumb. This means that your item is exactly as marked. If it is stamped 585, then it is exactly 58.5% gold. If it is stamped 583, then it is exactly 58.3% gold. In order to be stamped 14 karat, the item must contain a minimum of 58.3% gold. If it contains 58.5%, then it is still considered 14 karat. Stamping the item KP means that if it is stamped 585, then its composition is exactly 58.5% gold.
The Importance of Gold Jewelry Markings
Value
Gold jewelry markings are very important for several reasons. First of all, it allows you to easily identify what an item is made of. This is very important to help you determine if the price of that item is fair or if the seller is asking too much.
Identification
Most people do not live in the same place for their entire life. If you purchase your rings fine jewelry from your local jeweler and then decide to move away, the markings on the inside of your ring tell their own story. They tell your new jeweler what materials to use if they need to do any sizing or any other type of repair to your piece and they also tell him the manufacturer if their stamp is there. Sometimes they can send your item back to manufacturer for repair for minimal shipping and handling fee. Several designers offer lifetime warranties on their rings, so having that stamp on the inside of the ring identifies it as their own.