Diamond Ring Blog

I was once asked by a fellow that his wife had a diamond ring that she got as a present many years ago. He wanted to know more about it, what it is worth and etc…..
He said, “On the inner side of the band there are two numbers engraved which I suppose indicate something about the diamond as well as the band, but I don’t know what.”

It says 090 on one side. The other engraving is not as readable but I think it says T100.

He wanted to know, if I could tell him what those numbers meant.

So, my respond was if you really want to know what it is worth, take it to a jewelry appraiser or independent jeweler in your town. If the ring is of any great value (over $1000), you should have it appraised for insurance purposes.

As for the markings, without physically being able to measure the stone I could not say for sure, but the 090 might indicate that the ring contains 0.90 carats of diamonds. The markings may also refer to the lot number the ring came from, the style number of the casting, the manufacturer’s trademark or any number of other things.

Generally the inside of a ring is stamped with an indication of the type of metal the ring is made from in either European (950, 925, 900, 750, 525, 416 register, English register (Plat, SS, PD, 18k, 14k, 10k) or some combination of the two. Perhaps what you thought was T100 is actually one of the above.

Usually 14 karat or 18 karat gold jewelry needs a little care. Because the gold is a good metal a little care will resists both oxidation or corrosion. A warm soapy water bath will easily remove any discoloration. Use alcohol to dissolve any tough dirt. DO NOT use toothpaste or ammonia, as ammonia will turn the solder joints dark and the toothpaste will scratch the jewelry metal. Finally give the jewelry a final rinse with warm water and use the jewelers polishing cloth to wipe off the extra water.  Most importantly DO NOT rinse over an open sink, where the jewelry can go down the drain.