Regulations in Italy

By law, any gold jewelry sold in Italy must be at least 18K. Manufacturers can produce gold that’s less fine, but solely for export. Italy requires that gold objects weighing more than one gram (0.035 ounce, avoirdupois) must have two stamps. The first indicates the gold content in parts per thousand (750 indicates 18K, for example).

The second stamp has three identity marks. The first is the “Star of Italy,” which identifies the manufacturer as an Italian company. Next is a number that indicates the order in which the company applied for a stamp in its province (for example, the number is 14 if it was the 14th company in that province to apply). There are also two letters that indicate the province where the company is located (for example, VI for Vicenza, MI for Milan, AR for Arezzo).

These markings are the absolute minimum required by Italian law. A company is free to add any other identifying marks. It can be a company logo, a model number, or the name of a product line. 

These regulations apply only to Italian manufacturers producing and selling within Italy. If an Italian company produces items for export, it must add another stamp, depending on the destination country. Exports to the United States, for instance, must be stamped with the word ITALY in English.

Robert Weldon/GIA, courtesy of Karen Stark
The country stamp on the back of this yellow gold ring identifies it as a product of Italy. There's also a stamp with identity marks and a stamp indicating its gold content in parts per thousand. The letters “AR” indicate that the company is located in Arezzo.