Often on jewellery you will see a series of numbers, letters and symbols which are there to show you what the item is made from, the year and where it was made. Some jewellery tells you all of this information others will just give part of it.

The numbers on gold or silver jewellery state how pure the metal is and refer to the carat of the metal. For example 925 on silver equates to it being 92.5% pure. Each country may have its own hallmarking system meaning that if the jewellery is not form the UK the numbers may have a different meaning. When it comes to Gold, the purity ranges from 8 carat which is approximately 33% gold content to 24 carat which is 99.9% gold content. The minimum UK standard for gold is 9 carat and is recognised by the numbers 375 and has a gold content of 37.5%. Most jewellers will be able to look at the marks on your jewellery and tell you what it means.