Jewellery · Learning pillar

Precious Metals & Hallmarks

The metal decides much of how a piece of jewellery feels, wears and ages — and the tiny marks stamped inside a band describe exactly what that metal is. Read this pillar in order: start with 9ct, 14ct and 18ct gold to understand what karat changes; then white gold versus platinum for the two most-compared choices in engagement rings; and finally what the 375, 585 and 750 marks mean so you can read a hallmark yourself. Along the way you can use the Metal Purity Calculator to convert between karat, fineness and percentage. Purity and hallmark facts are technical and durable; any price, legal or local-hallmarking claim is dated and marked for specialist review.

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