Hallmark Guide: How to Read Danish Precious Metal Stamps

The fineness stamp is the mark that states how much precious metal a product contains, expressed in per mille of the total weight . This is the stamp you typically see as numbers such as 375, 585, 750, 916 or 999 on gold jewellery, or 800 and 925 on silver items. The law also allows the letters S for silver and G for gold to be used alongside the number itself, and for platinum and palladium the designations Pt and Pd can be added .

A special rule applies to silver: if the silver content is at least 925 fineness, the fineness may be stated solely by the term "Sterling" instead of the number . This means a piece stamped "Sterling" with no numeric stamp is still lawful and fully comparable to a piece stamped "925" - the two designations cover exactly the same fineness. This exception, however, only applies to silver and not to gold, platinum or palladium, where the actual numeric stamp is always required.

While the fineness stamp states what the piece contains, the name stamp states who stands behind the accuracy of that information. The name stamp shows who is responsible for the fineness stamp being correct , and under the executive order must consist of the name stamp holder's name, company name, secondary name, or an abbreviation thereof . Name stamps must be reported and registered digitally with Sikkerhedsstyrelsen before they may be used .

Ædelmetalkontrollen maintains a register of Danish name stamps dating back to 1893, and this register can be searched to see who historically or currently stands behind a given name stamp . If a foreign item instead carries a recognised convention stamp, the Danish name stamp can be dispensed with, because the item has already undergone a similarly thorough control in a country party to the international precious metal convention . A deleted name stamp cannot, moreover, be re-registered by anyone other than the previous holder for a period of three years, which is meant to prevent confusion about who actually stands behind a given stamp.

The system of two separate stamps is deliberately constructed to separate two different kinds of information: what the item is, and who is responsible for it. Items must carry two stamps, a fineness stamp and a name stamp , because a fineness stamp alone would not make it possible to trace who is responsible if it later turns out the item does not live up to its stated fineness. Without a name stamp, Ædelmetalkontrollen could not follow up directly with the responsible business in case of a stamping error.

The law also prohibits items of precious metal from being marked with stamps that can be confused with the regulated fineness and name stamps . This means a manufacturer cannot lawfully use a stamp design that misleadingly resembles an official stamp if it is not actually a valid, registered fineness or name stamp. This prohibition is meant to protect consumers from stamps that look like the lawful markings in appearance but do not actually represent any controlled information.

Not all items of precious metal need to carry a visible stamp. The law specifically exempts items temporarily imported as samples or for exhibition, imported watch cases with a movement fitted, fountain pens and ballpoint pens and parts thereof, and musical instruments . The most practically relevant exemption for jewellery buyers, however, concerns weight: gold, platinum and palladium items weighing less than 1 gram, and silver items weighing less than 1.5 grams, are exempt from the stamping requirement, as are items which, due to their fragility or size, cannot be fitted with stamps .

It is crucial to stress that this weight exemption only exempts the item from the actual physical stamping - it does not exempt the business from having a registered name stamp, and it certainly does not exempt the item from the requirement that it genuinely contains the fineness it is sold under . A small, light gold ring with no visible stamp is therefore not a free pass to sell a counterfeit product; the seller is still legally obliged to ensure the metal content is correct, just without having to engrave a physical stamp on the very small item.

In addition to the Danish fineness and name stamps, there is an international convention stamp, defined as the precious metal convention's common control mark described in Annex II to the Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals of 15 November 1972 as subsequently amended . Countries that have acceded to this convention mutually recognise each other's convention-stamped goods, meaning an item correctly controlled and stamped in one member country can be sold as genuine precious metal in another member country without further Danish stamping.

For the ordinary consumer this means in practice that a piece of jewellery imported from another convention country with a valid convention stamp is just as reliable as a piece with a Danish fineness and name stamp - it has simply undergone the control abroad instead of in Denmark. The convention stamp is usually a small, specific scale symbol combined with a numeric fineness stamp, and it therefore looks visually different from the plain Danish letter combinations and numbers, even though the underlying legal protection is comparable.

If Ædelmetalkontrollen's sample analysis shows that an item does not contain the fineness it is stamped with, Ædelmetalkontrollen follows up to ensure the error is corrected, and the responsible business can be fined for violating the precious metal control act . In more serious cases, violations can also be punishable under the criminal code, for example as fraud, and can in such cases result in imprisonment .

This two-tier enforcement system - administrative fines under the precious metal act and, in more serious cases, criminal prosecution under the criminal code - reflects that mismarkings can range from a simple production error to deliberate consumer fraud. If, as a consumer, you discover that a piece of jewellery does not live up to its stamp, you should first raise a complaint directly with the seller and, if necessary, flag the matter to Sikkerhedsstyrelsen, which holds overall responsibility for precious metal control in Denmark and Greenland .

If you find a name stamp on a piece of jewellery and want to know who is behind it, you can search Ædelmetalkontrollen's name stamp register, which covers Danish name stamps registered since 1893 . The register is divided into a historical overview up to May 2023 and a continuously updated list of more recent registrations . This makes it possible to establish whether a name stamp on an old heirloom piece is still active, has been deleted, or was never registered at all.

If you are unsure whether a name stamp is lawful, it is worth remembering that the law prohibits manufacturers, importers and distributors from continuing to sell items of precious metal from an existing stock unless they hold a registered name stamp . If a search in the register returns no result for a stamp on an item said to be newly produced and Danish, that is a good reason to ask the seller further questions before making a purchase.

When assessing a piece of jewellery, you should systematically look for three things: a fineness stamp with a recognisable number such as 375, 585, 750, 916 or 999, a name stamp that can be looked up in Ædelmetalkontrollen's register, and, where relevant, an international convention stamp if the item is imported. If all three are missing and the item does not fall under the weight exemption for very small items, you should ask the seller for an explanation or documentation before accepting that the item is genuinely precious metal.

Also remember that a stamp in itself is a strong but not infallible indication, because the inspection is sample-based . For valuable purchases, inherited pieces, or uncertain second-hand finds, the safest route is always to have the item assessed by an independent goldsmith or testing institute capable of performing an actual material analysis. The stamp tells you what the item claims to be and who legally stands behind that claim - but the final confirmation comes from an actual test, if the amount involved or the sentimental value is high enough to make it worthwhile.