What 375, 585, 750 and 925 Mean on Jewelry
A number stamped on metal is the most common mark in jewelry and the most commonly misread. It is not a date, not a weight and not a guarantee of quality. It is one thing only: how much of the alloy is precious metal, counted in parts per thousand.
585 means 585 parts of gold in every thousand parts of alloy, or 58.5 per cent gold. That is the whole system. Every fineness figure works this way, and once you know it you can convert any of them in your head.
Gold
| Figure | Carat | Gold content | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 333 | 8 ct | 33.3 per cent | Germany, the Netherlands. Not legal as gold in Britain, France or the US |
| 375 | 9 ct | 37.5 per cent | Britain, Ireland, Denmark. The British everyday standard from 1854 |
| 417 | 10 kt | 41.7 per cent | United States, Canada. The American legal minimum |
| 500 | 12 ct | 50 per cent | Britain 1854 to 1932 only, and the US |
| 583 | 14 ct | 58.3 per cent | Soviet and eastern European. Not the same as 585 |
| 585 | 14 ct | 58.5 per cent | Germany, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, the US, and Britain from 1932 |
| 625 | 15 ct | 62.5 per cent | Britain and Ireland, 1854 to 1932 only |
| 750 | 18 ct | 75 per cent | Everywhere. The fine jewelry standard |
| 833 | 20 ct | 83.3 per cent | Portugal, and Ireland used a 20 carat standard from 1784 |
| 875 | 21 ct | 87.5 per cent | The Gulf states |
| 916 or 917 | 22 ct | 91.6 per cent | Britain historically, India, the Gulf, south east Asia |
| 990 or 999 | 24 ct | Effectively pure | Bullion, and Asian gold jewelry |
The three that date a piece
625 and 500. Britain used the 15 carat and 12 carat standards only between 1854 and 1932, when both were abolished and replaced with 14 carat. A British piece marked 15ct or 625 was made in that 78 year window and nowhere else. This is the single most useful fineness figure for dating.
585 on British work. Because 14 carat was only introduced in Britain in 1932, a British hallmarked 585 cannot be earlier than that.
583 rather than 585. The three-figure difference is Soviet. Imperial Russia used a zolotnik system counted out of 96, in which 56 zolotniks is 0.583, and the Soviet Union converted that standard directly to metric in 1927. Russia moved to 585 in 1994.
Silver
| Figure | Silver content | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|
| 800 | 80 per cent | Germany, Italy, Austria. The Continental default |
| 813 | 81.3 per cent | Finland, marked 813H. Older Danish and Norwegian |
| 826 | 82.6 per cent | Denmark, to about 1915, marked 826S |
| 830 | 83 per cent | Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland. The Scandinavian standard |
| 833 | 83.3 per cent | The Netherlands, second standard |
| 835 | 83.5 per cent | Germany, Austria |
| 875 | 87.5 per cent | Russia and the Soviet Union, equivalent to 84 zolotniks |
| 900 | 90 per cent | Coin silver, America before about 1870, Chinese export |
| 925 | 92.5 per cent | Sterling. Britain and worldwide |
| 934 | 93.4 per cent | The Netherlands, first standard |
| 958 | 95.8 per cent | Britannia standard, Britain |
| 999 | Effectively pure | Modern fine silver |
The suffix letters matter. S means silver in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, so 830S is a Scandinavian mark. H means hopea, silver in Finnish, so 813H is Finnish. That one letter often identifies the country faster than any symbol.
Platinum and palladium
| Figure | Content | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 850 | 85 per cent platinum | Legal in Britain and much of Europe |
| 900 | 90 per cent platinum | Common in early twentieth century American work |
| 950 | 95 per cent platinum | The usual fine jewelry standard |
| PLAT, IRIDPLAT | Platinum, often with 10 per cent iridium | American, roughly 1900 to 1950 |
| PD500, PD950 | Palladium | Hallmarked in Britain only from 2010 |
If a white metal piece is marked 950 and is noticeably heavy for its size, it is platinum rather than silver. Platinum is roughly twice as dense.
What the number does not tell you
It is not a date, except by inference in the three cases above.
It is not a guarantee unless an assay office struck it. A figure punched by a manufacturer in a country with no assay system is a statement of intent. See how to read hallmarks for the difference, and how to tell if gold is real for how to check.
It is not a quality judgement. Higher fineness means softer metal. A 9 carat Victorian brooch may be better made and more desirable than a 22 carat modern chain, and it will certainly survive wear better.
It says nothing about what the piece weighs. A hollow 750 bangle contains less gold than a solid 375 ring. Work out the actual content with the gold calculator.
Figures that mean the piece is not solid
The numbers below look like fineness marks and are not.
- 1/20 12K GF means gold filled: a layer of 12 carat gold, one twentieth of the total weight, bonded to a base core.
- 18KGP, 18KGE, HGE mean gold plated or electroplated with 18 carat gold. The carat figure describes the coating only.
- EPNS, EP, A1 mean electroplated nickel silver, containing no solid silver.
- 925 plated or silver plated 925 is a contradiction that appears surprisingly often and means plated.
Frequently asked questions
What does 585 mean on a ring?
That the metal is 58.5 per cent pure gold, equivalent to 14 carat. It is the most common gold standard in continental Europe and America.
Is 750 gold better than 585?
It contains more gold, at 75 per cent against 58.5 per cent, so it is worth more per gram and has a richer colour. It is also softer and wears down faster. Better depends on whether you are valuing the metal or wearing the piece.
What is the difference between 583 and 585?
Almost nothing in metal terms, and a great deal in origin. 583 is the Soviet and eastern European standard, converted from the imperial Russian zolotnik system. 585 is the western European and American figure. A piece marked 583 is very unlikely to be German or Scandinavian.
Does 925 mean real silver?
It means the alloy is claimed to be 92.5 per cent silver, which is sterling. Whether that claim is true depends on who struck it. Where an assay office mark accompanies it, the metal was tested. Where 925 stands alone, it has not been.
What does 333 gold mean?
8 carat gold, one third gold and two thirds base alloy. It is a legal gold standard in Germany and the Netherlands and would not be saleable as gold in Britain, France or the United States. It tarnishes more readily than higher standards.
Is 916 the same as 22 carat?
Yes. 916 parts per thousand is 91.6 per cent gold, which is 22 twenty-fourths. It is the traditional British wedding band standard and remains the default for gold jewelry across south Asia and the Middle East.