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Reference

Purity and hallmarks

What the small stamp on your jewellery or silverware means, and what each purity is worth per gram at today's price in Canadian dollars.

Gold karat stamps

KaratNumber stampPure goldPer gram nowWhere you see it
8K33333.3%—Common in older European jewellery. Below the 9K minimum for a gold mark in Canada.
9K37537.5%—Common in the UK and Commonwealth. The lowest karat that can be marked as gold in Canada.
10K41741.7%—Everyday jewellery. Very common in Canada.
12K50050.0%—Often seen with "GF": "1/20 12K GF" is gold filled, not solid.
14K58558.3%—Rings and chains. Very common in Canada.
18K75075.0%—Fine jewellery and European pieces.
21K87587.5%—Common in Middle Eastern jewellery.
22K91691.7%—South Asian jewellery; Krugerrand and Gold Eagle coins.
24K99999.9%—Pure gold: bars, Gold Maple Leaf coins, some Asian jewellery.

Silver marks

MarkPure silverPer gram nowWhere you see it
999, Fine99.9%—Bullion bars and coins.
958, Britannia95.8%—British Britannia standard, and older Britannia coins.
925, Sterling92.5%—Most silver jewellery and flatware. Canadian coins dated 1919 and earlier.
900, Coin90.0%—US coins before 1965 and older "coin silver".
80080.0%—Canadian coins from 1920 to 1967, and German, Italian and other European silver.

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Stamps that mean it is not solid

GF, Gold Filled, 1/20 12K, 1/10 10K
Gold filled: a karat-gold layer bonded to base metal. The layer must be at least 1/20 of the weight, so most of the item is not gold.
GP, GEP, Gold Plated, Electroplated
A very thin gold layer. Little or no scrap value.
HGE, HGP
Heavy gold electroplate. Still plated, and still very little gold.
RGP
Rolled gold plate: like gold filled, but with less gold.
Vermeil
Gold-plated sterling silver. Usually valued as sterling.
EP, EPNS, Silverplate, Quadruple Plate
Silver-plated base metal. Almost no silver value.
Nickel silver, German silver, Alpaca
No silver at all. A copper, nickel and zinc alloy.

The rules behind the stamps

In Canada the Precious Metals Marking Act, enforced by the Competition Bureau, sets what a quality mark may say. A seller does not have to mark an item. If it is marked, the mark must be true.

  • Gold must be at least 9 karats to carry a gold quality mark.
  • A quality mark must sit beside a trademark that is registered, or applied for, in Canada. A karat stamp with no maker’s mark is a reason to test the item.

A stamp is a claim, not a test. Fakes are stamped too. See how to tell if gold is real.

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