People who make products are responsible for their quality. Especially in the case of items such as jewelry, which is used for decade, or even for more than a century, it is a matter of course to clearly state where that responsibility lies by stamping a hallmark bearing the maker’s name.

Since the type and fineness of the precious metal used in jewelry is difficult to determine just by looking at it, it is necessary to stamp that information. In eras when precious metals were extremely expensive compared to today, such markings served as important guarantees of value, and official marks of guarantee were required in some countries. Now, however, the value of the precious metals used is a very small portion of the total value of jewelry. Stamps showing the metal’s purity are necessary, but a guarantee of a metal’s fineness should not be confused with the guarantee of quality for the whole piece of jewelry.

Another desirable marking is a serial number. With this, information such as the type of materials used or the weight of the stones can be obtained by contacting the manufacturer. Stone weights may be noted if the main stone is an especially valuable one, but they are unnecessary for small gemstones. The weight of stones is convenient for the seller to keep track of inventories, but this information tends to be over-emphasized to the consumer, confusing them as to the essential value of the jewelry. Gemstones should be judged by their beauty, not their weight in carats.

The markings on the ring on the top right follow the European hallmarking practice of stating all the information on one surface of the jewelry. With stones set completely around the ring, not stamping the inside of the ring allows the metalwork to be completely open inside, so that light can enter all of the diamonds.

The center photograph shows a stamp on the outside of the shank, and the bottom one is an example of markings on the inside of the ring. Most of the jewelry manufactured in the United States and Japan is stamped on the inside, like the bottom photograph. Nowadays, jewelry from various countries can be found anywhere, but as long as the markings are accurate and clearly show the manufacturer’s hallmark and serial number, as well as the fineness of the metal, the location of the marking is left to the maker.