When it comes to proving the authenticity of jewelry, hallmarks play a major role. These official marks on metal jewelry certify the purity of noble metals like silver, gold, platinum, and palladium. In the case of rings, hallmarks are stamped on the inside of shanks. The earliest hallmarks date as far back as the 4th century. At this time, hallmarks were in the form of silver bars, under the reign of Emperor Augustinian in 350 CE. In 1327, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London was chartered by King Edward III to work for consumer protection. The organization’s headquarters were in Goldsmiths’ Hall. Hallmarking received its name from this venue.
Given that customers have been checking up on authenticity before buying jewelry for more than 1,500 years now, here’s what you should know before buy rings online.
How to Check the Authenticity of the Metal?
Say, you wish to buy a solitaire diamond ring for women online in gold. Remember that gold, a soft metal, needs to be mixed with other metals to increase its strength and durability. This also leads to a choice of beautiful colors in gold, like yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold. The purity of gold in these alloys is measured in Karats (K). For example, 24 Karats means 24/24 parts of gold. Rings made of pure gold are hallmarked as 24K, 22K, 18K, 14K, 12K, or 10K. From 24K to 10K, the purity and cost of gold decreases, while its durability increases. Keep this in mind while choosing authentic gold rings.
Now, if you want to buy sterling silver rings for women online, check if the ring is hallmarked as “925,” since sterling silver usually contains 92.5% of pure silver.
How to Check the Authenticity of Gemstones?
Authentic gemstones should be certified for authenticity by the seller.When you buy a solitaire diamond ring online, for instance, check all the product details and whether the piece comes with a certificate.
Apart from this, check for the 5 Cs:
- Carat: Diamonds are weighed in carats, where 1 metric carat equals 200 milligrams. A diamond’s size and price increase with its carat weight. So, choose according to your budget and taste. Since there’s a loss of carats with polishing, check the final weight of the diamond in the product description.
- Clarity: This refers to the microscopic flaws in diamonds, and is graded as:
- Inclusions (I1, I2, I3)
- Small inclusions (SI1, SI2)
- Very small inclusions (VSI1, VSI2)
- Very very small inclusions (VVSI1, VVSI2)
- Internally flawless (IF)
Authentic diamonds are graded according to clarity, so check and choose the grade as per your taste and budget.
- Color: Diamonds are available in various colors, like white, yellow, blue, pinkish, black, and more. An authentic diamond should have any of the following color grades mentioned in its product description:
- D (completely colorless)
- E-F (colorless)
- G-J (nearly colorless)
- K (faint)
- L-Z (faint to light color)
For better color prominence, pick larger diamonds. Choose ones with more facets for greater brightness.
- Cut: The shine of a diamond comes from its cut, which controls how much light passes through the gemstone. Choose from princess, oval, marquise, pear, heart, round brilliant, baguette, and Asscher cuts. The princess and round brilliant cuts reflect maximum light.
- Certification: Ensure you buy diamond solitaire rings for women online only from a store that offers a certificate of authenticity for the product.
Remember to check the customer reviews on the website to know if the customers received authentic rings.