Ask J. Shea

I Have a Men's Diamond Ring, I Have No Doubt That The Ring is Real, But The Ring Has No 14K Stamp in The Band. Someone Told Me That a 14K Stamp is Not a Requirement. Is This True?

Here's how the stamping requirements go, as far as I understand them. I have to recommend a lawyer for legal information, though, since I'm not one. The FTC in the US requires that IF you sell something as 14K, or sterling silver, or other specific metals, then you have to either stamp it or put it in writing along with the item. Usually people do mark jewelry 14K here in the US, but of course, European and other countries have different requirements altogether, and if it's made there and brought to the US by an individual instead of a company, it may not be stamped. So the bottom line is that it can be 14K without having a stamp.

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