The Journal · Topic

Hallmarks, Dating & Authentication

Reading marks, dating pieces without them, spotting reproductions and authenticating signed jewels — the checks we run before anything is listed.

Hands inspecting the hallmarks inside an antique gold ring with a jeweler's loupe, beside calipers and a sketchbook.
September 2026

How to Tell If a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra Is Real

How to tell if a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra is real: the perlée border, stone fit, clasp, serial number and hallmarks,...

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Vintage Tiffany & Co. Return to Tiffany heart tag bracelet in 18k yellow gold
September 2026

Vintage Tiffany & Co. Jewelry: How to Date It, Authenticate It, and What's Worth Buying

How to read vintage Tiffany jewelry marks, tell real from fake (including Return to Tiffany), why gold pieces are so much rarer...

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Hands inspecting the hallmarks inside an antique gold ring with a jeweler's loupe, beside calipers and a sketchbook.
September 2026

How to Date an Antique Ring Without a Hallmark

Most antique rings carry no usable hallmark. Dating them is a matter of reading construction: the cut of the stones, how the...

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Hands inspecting the hallmarks inside an antique gold ring with a jeweler's loupe, beside calipers and a sketchbook.
September 2026

How to Spot a Reproduction Art Deco Ring

Art Deco is the most reproduced era in jewelry, and “Deco style” does a lot of quiet work in listings. Eight checks...

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Antique gold rings on green velvet showing hallmarks — 750, 18ct and maker's marks — used to date antique jewelry.
July 2026

How to Read a Hallmark: Dating Antique Jewelry

A hallmark is a piece of jewelry telling you its own story — metal, maker, sometimes the exact year and city. How...

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