How to read a European gold hallmark

European gold is rarely stamped the way American gold is. Instead of a simple 14K, you will often find a cluster of tiny pictorial marks: a standard mark for the karat, a maker's mark, and sometimes a date letter or a city mark.

Dutch pieces carry a lion for 750 gold and a crowned figure for lower standards. French work uses an eagle's head for 18 karat gold, and a boar or a crab for silver. British hallmarks are the most complete of all, with a full date letter that pins a piece to a single year.

We photograph the hallmark of every piece we sell and read it out for you during a video viewing. If a mark is worn beyond reading, we test the metal and say so plainly in the description.