Before you sell an old piece by weight — or worse, let anyone melt it — spend two minutes looking for a mark. A signature from the right house can be worth many times the gold it’s made of. Here’s exactly where to look and what it means.
Why a tiny stamp changes everything
Melt value is just the raw metal — karat times weight times the daily gold price. It is the floor, not the ceiling. A signature from a respected house adds something melt can never capture: the design, the hand that made it, the name, and the demand for it on the collector market. For many signed and antique pieces, that added value is worth several times the metal alone.
This is the single most expensive mistake people make when selling inherited jewelry: a signed Cartier bracelet or a Tiffany brooch gets weighed, quoted at melt, and melted down. The metal is recovered. Everything that made it valuable is gone for good.
The rule of thumb: if a piece is old, signed, or set with real stones, it should be valued piece by piece on the resale market — never weighed on a scale. Weighing is for scrap.
Where the mark hides
Maker’s marks and hallmarks are deliberately small and tucked out of sight. They wear down over decades, so you’ll want good light and a loupe or even a phone camera zoomed all the way in. Here is where to look by piece:
| Piece | Look here |
|---|---|
| Ring | Inside the band (the shank), often near the base. |
| Necklace / bracelet | On or beside the clasp, or on a small oval or rectangular tag hung near it. |
| Brooch / pin | On the back plate, near the pin stem or catch. |
| Earrings | On the post, the clip, or the flat back of the setting. |
| Pendant / charm | On the bail (the loop) or the reverse of the piece. |
You may find two different things close together: a purity mark (the metal) and a maker’s mark (who made it). Both matter, and they’re easy to confuse.
Reading the purity mark
The purity mark tells you the metal and its fineness. The most common ones:
- 750 or 18K — 18-karat gold (75% pure).
- 585 or 14K — 14-karat gold (58.5% pure).
- 375 or 9K — 9-karat gold, common in older British pieces.
- 925 — sterling silver.
- 950 or PT / PLAT — platinum.
A purity stamp is a strong sign the metal is genuinely precious — but only proper testing confirms it, and plated pieces are sometimes marked misleadingly. Treat the stamp as a lead, not a verdict.
Reading the maker’s mark
This is the one that can multiply the value. A maker’s mark might be a full signature (Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, David Webb), a set of initials, or a registered symbol. Many fine pieces also carry a serial or model number that lets the house or a specialist confirm authenticity and age.
A word of caution runs the other way, too: a screw motif is not automatically Cartier, and initials are not automatically a famous house. A signature has to be read in context — the style, the construction, the numbers — which is exactly what a trained eye is for.
Don’t polish it first. The instinct to “clean it up” before selling can cost you real money. Heavy polishing rounds off hallmarks and softens engraving, and over-cleaning strips the patina that proves an antique’s age. Leave an old piece exactly as it is and let a jeweler see it untouched.
Found a signature? Here’s what to do
- Don’t weigh it, don’t melt it. Once you suspect a signed or antique piece, take the scale off the table.
- Photograph the mark and the whole piece in good light — the signature, any numbers, and the front and back.
- Have it read by someone who values on the resale market, not by the gram. That’s the difference between a fraction of the value and the real number.
At Bizak & Co. we’re jewelers, not a melt shop. Signed, antique and gem-set pieces are valued individually on the resale market — usually well above melt — and the best of them go into our own collection rather than a refiner’s crucible. Your piece is never touched until you accept a written offer, and everything ships insured both ways.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my jewelry is real gold?
Look for a purity stamp on an inconspicuous surface — inside a ring shank, on a necklace clasp, on the back of a brooch. Common marks are 750 or 18K, 585 or 14K, 375 or 9K for gold, 925 for sterling silver, and 950 or PT for platinum. A stamp is a strong sign the metal is precious, though only testing confirms it for certain. A gemologist can verify it in minutes.
Where is the maker’s mark on jewelry?
It hides in different places by piece. On rings, inside the band. On necklaces and bracelets, on or beside the clasp, or on a small oval tag. On brooches, on the back plate near the pin. On earrings, on the post or clip. Marks are tiny and often worn, so use a loupe or magnifier and good light — a designer signature is easy to miss with the naked eye.
Why is a signed piece worth more than its gold?
Melt value is only the raw metal. A signature from a respected house adds the value of the design, the craftsmanship, the brand and its collectibility — which for many signed and antique pieces is worth several times the metal alone. Melt a signed Cartier or Tiffany piece and that added value is gone forever.
Should I clean or polish jewelry before selling it?
No — not an old or signed piece. Over-cleaning can strip the patina that tells an antique’s age, and a heavy polish can round off a hallmark or soften engraving that proves who made it. If in doubt, leave it exactly as it is and let a jeweler assess it first.
What should I do if I find a signature on my jewelry?
Don’t weigh it or melt it. A signed, antique or gem-set piece should be valued on the resale market, piece by piece, not by the gram. Photograph the mark and the whole piece and have it assessed by a jeweler who can read the signature. At Bizak & Co. your piece is valued individually and never touched until you accept a written offer.