How to Read a Gold Hallmark Before You Buy

A gold hallmark is a small stamped number — usually 375, 585, 750, 875, 916, or 999 — that states exactly how much pure gold is in a piece, out of one thousand parts. It is stamped directly onto the metal, usually inside a ring band, on a bracelet's clasp, or on a discreet link of a necklace, and it should always match what appears on your receipt. Before you pay for any gold piece, find this stamp, and ask the jeweller to point it out if you can't see it clearly.

Reading the numbers

Each stamp is a percentage in disguise: 999 means 99.9% pure gold (24K), 916 means 91.6% pure gold (22K), 875 means 87.5% pure gold (21K, the most common purity in Gulf jewellery), and 750 means 75% pure gold (18K). The rest of the alloy is other metals — usually copper, silver, or zinc — added for strength and colour, since pure 24K gold is too soft for most everyday jewellery.

What a receipt should say

A proper receipt states three things plainly: the karat (as a number, not just "gold"), the weight in grams, and the price per gram used to calculate the total. If any of these is missing, ask for it before you pay — it's the paperwork you would need for insurance, resale, or a warranty claim later.

A quick way to check at home

A jeweller's loupe or a simple magnifying glass is often enough to find the stamp yourself. Look along the inside of a ring band, near a bracelet's clasp, or on the bail of a pendant. If a stamp is worn smooth from years of wear, that's normal — it doesn't mean the gold itself has changed, only that the visible mark has faded.

The stamp and the receipt should always agree. If they don't, that's the moment to ask questions, not after you've left the store.

At Lazurde Rose, every piece leaving our Al Barsha Mall showroom carries its karat stamp and a receipt that states it in writing, so you're never left guessing what you own.