Where Is the Stamp on Gold Jewelry?
On chains and bracelets the stamp is on the clasp or the small tag near the clasp; on rings it's on the inside of the band; on earrings it's on the post or back; and on pendants it's on the bail (the loop the chain passes through). Nearly all gold jewelry sold in the U.S. since the early 1900s is stamped with its purity. Grab good light and a magnifying glass (your phone camera zoomed in works great) and check those spots. The stamp is tiny, often under a millimeter tall, and on older pieces it may be worn smooth.
Gold dots mark the most common stamp locations.
What Gold Stamps Mean
A gold stamp tells you the purity of the metal: the karat number, or its three-digit equivalent, shows exactly how much of the piece is real gold. To see how that purity translates into value, read our guide How Much Is My Gold Worth?
Stamps That Mean It's NOT Solid Gold
Stamps like GP, GF, HGE, RGP, and 925 mean the piece is plated, filled, or silver, not solid gold. Check for these before you get your hopes up:
These pieces contain very little recoverable gold. A "14K GP" stamp means 14-karat plating: the piece itself is mostly base metal.
How Can You Test Gold at Home?
You can test gold at home with three simple checks: the magnet test, the skin and wear check, and the weight feel. None of them confirms gold on its own, but each can catch an obvious fake.
The Magnet Test
Gold is not magnetic. Hold a strong magnet (a fridge magnet is too weak; a neodymium magnet from a hardware store works) near the piece. If it snaps toward the magnet, it's not solid gold. Caution: passing this test doesn't prove it's gold. Many fakes use non-magnetic metals too, and clasps often contain small steel springs that will attract even on real gold chains.
The Skin & Wear Check
Look closely at high-contact spots: edges, corners, the inside of a band. If you see a different colored metal showing through (greenish, coppery, or silvery), the piece is plated and the layer is wearing off. Green or dark marks on your skin after wearing it point the same direction.
The Weight Feel
Gold is one of the densest metals, nearly twice as heavy as most fakes. A solid gold chain feels noticeably heavier than it looks. If a chunky piece feels surprisingly light, be skeptical.
Tests to Avoid
Skip the acid test kits sold online: they require scratching your jewelry against a stone, which permanently damages the piece, and drugstore kits are often inaccurate. And despite the movies, don't bite your gold; teeth marks just damage soft pieces. There's no home test worth ruining your jewelry over.
No Stamp? Don't Assume It's Fake.
Plenty of genuine gold has no visible stamp: pieces made before stamping was standard, handmade and imported jewelry, items where the stamp wore away after decades of use, and pieces that were resized or repaired (the stamped section is often the part that was cut out). Inherited jewelry is especially likely to be unstamped, and it's precisely the kind of gold people throw away or sell for pennies at a garage sale without realizing what they have.
The Only Way to Know for Sure: Professional Testing
Professionals use XRF (X-ray fluorescence) analysis: a machine reads the exact metal composition in seconds without scratching, cutting, or damaging the piece in any way. At our facility, every item that arrives is individually tested with XRF and weighed, and your written offer lists each piece with its actual tested karat and weight, including anything that turns out not to be gold, which we identify and return along with everything else if you decline. Testing costs you nothing.
Curious what happens after you mail it in? See how selling gold by mail works, step by step, and how a specialized mail-in buyer compares to pawn shops and local jewelers.
Free protected shipping · Written offer within 24 hours · Everything returned free if you decline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Without a stamp, home tests can only rule gold out, not confirm it. The magnet test, wear check, and weight feel catch obvious fakes, but the only reliable confirmation is professional XRF testing, which is non-destructive and free through our appraisal kit.
585 means the metal is 58.5% pure gold, the same as 14 karat. European makers often use the number instead of the karat mark.
Very little for its gold content: the plating layer is microscopically thin. Plated pieces may still have value as costume jewelry, but gold buyers can't pay meaningfully for them.
No, it only proves the opposite. If a piece sticks to a magnet, it isn't solid gold. But many fake and plated pieces are also non-magnetic, so passing the test isn't confirmation.
Yes, counterfeit stamps exist, especially on items bought from unverified online sellers. This is why professional testing matters: a stamp is a clue, not a guarantee.
Reputable buyers use XRF analysis, which reads exact purity in seconds without damaging the piece, plus precise weighing. Every item we receive is tested individually and listed line-by-line on your written offer.