Hallmark For White Gold (All You Need To Know)

If you have a piece of whitish precious metal jewelry, you may wonder what metals from which it is made. Because white gold, silver, platinum, and palladium all have a pale, silvery appearance, distinguishing between them isn’t always easy, which is why you would look to hallmarks. But what are the hallmarks for white gold?

There is no distinct hallmark for white gold; it is stamped with the same symbols as other forms of gold, indicating its purity. However, it is possible to distinguish white gold from other whitish precious metals by the fineness number or by the presence of a karat mark.

Although the requirements for hallmarking vary from country to country, you can learn the basic principles that will allow you to distinguish between white gold (gold alloyed with white metals) and other precious metals with a light, silvery appearance. Let’s take a look at hallmarks!

Hallmarks Indicate The Purity Of Precious Metals

Hallmarks are symbols applied to precious metals to indicate their purity i. e. what percentage of their total weight consists of the precious metal in question. In past times, jewelers stamped these symbols into the metal with a punch; nowadays, they are typically laser cut into the metal.

Sometimes the term “hallmark” is used more broadly for any marks on the metal, such as the maker’s mark, which indicates which manufacturing jeweler created the piece. Maker’s marks vary from the company’s full name (e. g., Tiffany & Co.) to initials. Items assessed for purity in the UK will also bear the stamp and symbol of the assaying office that did the assessment.

Hallmarks originated in 13th century Europe as a form of consumer protection. Some nations, such as the UK and France, legally require their presence. In others, such as Italy, China, and India, there is no legal requirement for hallmarks, and jewelers add them voluntarily.

In this post, we will concentrate on hallmarks in the narrower sense of the marks used to indicate the purity of the metal, as these will allow you to distinguish white gold from other whitish precious metals.

The Distinct Hallmarks Used On Gold

White gold, like other forms of gold, will either display a two-digit number followed by the “K” (or Kt) symbol for karats, or a three-digit millesimal fineness number that indicates how many grams per thousand are gold. No unique mark is used to distinguish white gold from other forms of gold.

If you see a “K,” you can be confident you’re dealing with gold – only gold is measured in karats. However, if you see a three-digit number, you will have to use other information to determine whether it is gold.

In the UK, a cartouche encloses the three-digit fineness number. An oval cartouche indicates silver, a “bubbly” cartouche indicates palladium (or an “ingot-shaped” one before 2009), a “house-shaped” cartouche indicates platinum, and an octagonal prism cartouche indicates gold.

However, if you don’t have the cartouche shape to help you, you will have to fall back on the number itself. Gold will display the following millesimal fineness numbers:

Millesimal Fineness	Karatage
375	9 karat
417 or 416	10 karat
585 or 583	14 karat
750	18 karat
990	22 karat
999	24 karat

If you see one of these numbers, you will be dealing with gold, as other metals are standardized to different purity levels. The only exception is 999 for 24 karat gold, which shares a millesimal fineness designation with pure silver, platinum, and palladium.

However, because pure gold is deep orange-gold, and there is no such thing as pure white gold, you will not get 24-karat (999 fineness) white gold. As a result, no confusion will arise.

If you see some other three-digit fineness number, you are almost certainly dealing with another precious metal standardized to different purity levels than gold.

Many European countries signed the Vienna Convention in 1972, which introduced standardization in the assaying and marking of precious metal items. This convention introduced the Common Control Mark (CCM). The CCM symbol used on gold items is a balance scales over two interlocking circles. You are dealing with a European-made gold piece if you see this mark.

What Are Alloys?

To understand what white gold is, how it differs from other silvery precious metals, and what the hallmark tells us about the metal’s content, we first must understand why jewelers alloy metals.

Pure metals are elements on the periodic table, and each has particular characteristics due to its atomic structure. So some metals are harder than others and therefore resist deformation and scratching better; some rust or tarnish quickly while others resist corruption, and so forth.

Because a particular metal in its pure form probably does not display all the characteristics desired for a piece of jewelry, manufacturing jewelers mix in a proportion of other metals in a process known as alloying.

Alloys are extremely common in metallurgy – steel is an iron alloy, for example. Precious metals used for jewelry display specific undesirable characteristics. Pure silver tarnishes quickly; gold is exceptionally soft. As a result, these metals are alloyed with other precious and base metals to improve their suitability for daily use.

White Gold Purity Vs. Other Precious Metals

White gold is gold alloyed with whitish metals such as palladium, silver, and nickel. It is also typically given a rhodium coating to enhance the white appearance and protect the surface. Like other colors of gold, white gold comes in various karatages or fineness. Gold’s most familiar purity levels are 9K, 10K (the lowest purity legally considered gold in the US), 14K, 18K, and 22K.

Examine the hallmark if you encounter a piece of silvery jewelry and want to know what metal it is made from. Bear in mind that this may be absent from items made in the US, as American law does not require hallmarks on the piece. Instead, jewelers must display purity near the piece, typically on its packaging.

However, most high-end jewelers stamp a hallmark onto the piece itself, and if you know what purity levels the numbers stand for, you can usually tell which metal the item is.

You are dealing with silver if you see 800, 925, 930, or 958. Sterling silver is 925, Argentium is 930, and Britannia silver is 958. Silver jewelry from the UK will also display a lion for 925 sterling or a Britannia for 958 fineness.

If you see 500, or 950, you are dealing with palladium. Sometimes a “PD” is added before the number as well. The piece is platinum if you see 850, 900, or 950. Sometimes platinum is marked with “PT” or “Plat.”

If you see a number from the table or a karatage symbol, you are dealing with the gold of some sort. Your eye will tell you that it is white gold rather than yellow gold or rose gold.

Conclusion

If you have a piece of whitish jewelry and want to know whether it is white gold, now you know how to identify it. Although there is no distinct hallmark for white gold, there are specific hallmarks for gold, and your eye will tell you whether it has been alloyed with white metals.