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Hi All,
I hope everyone is doing well during these trying times. I purchased a pink sapphire ring today that I'm told is set in 24K gold. The ring has Chinese character hallmark which I hope can be translated. I was not able to get a clear pic of the hallmark so any help would be very much appreciated and Thank you!

If you bought the jewelry from a Chinese source, the mark would be read '金豐茂' (Jin Feng Mao) in Mandarin pinyin. Jin means gold and also is a surname, but it could just be the shop name in this case, with literal name of 'Gold and abundant luxury'.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Thank you Bill. I purchased the ring online from a shop in San Francisco. I bought the ring because it was beautiful and was the only piece of jewelry that had a Chinese character hallmark. The style looked antique to me and so I was curious about its origin.

Believe all that glitter had me dazzled. 'Cheng' it is!

Bill H.

Holy Smokes! I just returned from an independent jeweler Nothing is open here in LA, so I had to find someone who would do an in person appointment. Here is what he said: (A) The shank test as 24K solid gold. (B) The gemstone test at 4.92 ct. Sapphire/Magenta Pink (C) Judging from the cut of the gemstone (long cushion cut) he dates the ring to between 1920 - 1960s. (D) He suggested I have the gemstone GIA certified and if not man made could be worth up to: ... Wait for it! $7,000! Holy Smokes! Below is a pic of a 4.11ct Emerald Cut pink sapphire diamond ring priced at $16,000. To me the color of this gemstone looks similar to the gemstone in my ring.

金豐成　-　Jingfengcheng - Name of a goldsmith shop
(Translates "Gold makes rich")

With regards,
I.Nagy

If I were you, I would have the gem tested by a qualified gemologist to ascertain if this is a pink sapphire or another stone. I have purchased many pink sapphires and it just looks "different" than those gems in both color and texture.

Hello and Thank you for your response! I just returned from an independent jeweler and here is what he said: (A) The shank test as 24K solid gold. (B) The gemstone test at 4.92 ct. Sapphire, Color: Magenta Pink. Below is a pic of a 4.11ct Emerald Cut pink sapphire diamond ring. To me the color of this gemstone looks similar to the gemstone in my ring. And so I think I may have gotten lucky!

Better get a new local jeweler. 24 karat is almost 99+% pure gold and is much too soft to use in holding any stones.. Coins and gold bars can be that grade, but not a ring that is supposed to hold a gem with any strength.

"Coins and gold bars can be that grade (24K), but not a ring that is supposed to hold a gem with any strength." Seriously!! Here's a link you should check out. https://www.estatediamondjewelry.com/guide-24k-gold. Argue with that!

See timesofindia.indiatimes.com =why we can't make jewellery out of 24 karat gold.

If you read your own suggested link, it states very clearly that 24k gold is too soft to use with gems and have a safety factor.

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