The Lovenhall RegistryThe LovenhallRegistry
House · V№ V

Lovenhall Ring

The room where the house keeps its instrument for whole pieces — setting, metal and stones read together — with the hallmarks stamped inside a shank decoded one by one. Indicative throughout; never an appraisal.

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Decode a hallmark
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Lovenhall Ring Identifier№ V · iPhone & iPad
Nº I · The Instrument

Ring Identifier

Not a loose gem but the whole piece: the setting and the stones read together, with a range to orient you before anyone charges you for an appraisal.

Whole-piece reading of rings and jewellery
An indicative value range
A first look before a formal appraisal
Open the Ring Identifier

Free on iPhone & iPad. Any figure it gives is an estimate, not an appraisal.

What it reads, and what it cannot
Nº II · In the Hand

Three moves, and you have a figure

You photograph it. The instrument reads it. You know where you stand.

I

You photograph it

One photograph. Nothing to fill in, nothing to send away.

II

It reads what it sees

The reading happens there and then, on the phone.

III

You have a figure to work from

A range, in seconds — enough to know where you stand.

Nº III · Anatomy of a Ring

Six parts, and the words for them

What a jeweller, a valuer and a listing are all describing — including the marks, which are part of the object rather than a note about it.

Shank

Where the mark lives

Round · D-shape · Knife edge · Split · Tapered

Head & setting

What holds the stone

Four claw · Six claw · Bezel · Tension · Flush

Gallery

Under the stone

Open · Closed back · Millegrain · Pierced · Cathedral

Metal

Fineness, stamped

375 / 9ct · 585 / 14k · 750 / 18k · 925 sterling · 950 platinum

Accents

The stones that are not the centre

Pavé · Halo · Channel · Shoulder stones · Eternity

The marks

Who says so

Sponsor's mark · Fineness · Assay office · Date letter · Maker's trademark

Nº IV · The Free Tools

Free tools of the room

A range to orient you, in seconds.

LOWHIGH
Hallmark ReaderRead the stamp inside my ringSoon
Nº V · Field Notes

On the reading of rings

  • GP, GEP, EP, HGE and RGP all mean an electroplated or thinly bonded layer over base metal.
  • GF, and any fraction such as 1/20 before a karat figure, means gold filled — a bonded sheet over brass.
  • 'Gold tone' and 'gold finish' are descriptions of colour and imply no gold content whatsoever.
Nº VI · The Register of Marks

Jewellery Hallmarks: What the Stamp Inside Your Ring Means

A page for each mark people actually find — 925, 750, 585, 375, PLAT, GP, 800 — with what it guarantees, what it does not, and how to check the metal agrees with it.

925

The international millesimal mark for sterling silver

Sterling silver: 92.5% silver, 7.5% usually copper. The commonest stamp in jewellery, and the easiest to fake.

Read the checks

750

The millesimal mark for 18 karat gold, used worldwide

18 karat gold: 75% gold, 25% other metals. The standard for fine jewellery in most of the world.

Read the checks

585

The American standard, and widespread in Germany and eastern Europe

14 karat gold: 58.5% gold. Harder than 18k, paler, and the dominant standard in the United States.

Read the checks

375

The British and Australian minimum legal gold standard

9 carat gold: 37.5% gold, the British legal minimum. More base metal than gold, and still legally gold.

Read the checks

PLAT / 950

The international marks for platinum, standardised at 950 for unqualified use

Platinum: denser than gold, whiter than white gold, never plated, and unmistakable on a scale.

Read the checks

GP / HGE / GEP

Manufacturer's marks disclosing a plated finish, worldwide

Every one of these means a coating over base metal. All are legally honest, and all are read as gold by people who skip the letters.

Read the checks
All 7 hallmarks we read
The Journal

From the Journal

Longer, plain-English guides on the questions we are asked most — free to read.

Ring · Guide

How Accurate Are Ring Identifier Apps?

A loose stone gives a camera everything. A ring gives it the top of the stone and a lot of metal — and the metal is holding the interesting parts out of view.

7 min readRead the guide
All guides in the Journal
The Lovenhall RegistryLovenhall Ring

Write about a piece

A mark the register does not decode, a set of hallmarks that will not resolve, or a piece the instrument could not place — the house is glad to hear it.

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