What Does 916 Mean on Jewelry?

916 (sometimes 917) means 22-karat gold, the purity of choice across India and the Middle East. It's 916 parts pure gold per 1,000, or 91.6% gold — soft, richly yellow, and often used for wedding and investment jewelry where gold content matters more than durability.

What is a 916 piece worth?

At 91.6% gold, 916 carries very high melt value — about $88 of gold per gram at a ~$3,000/oz price — which is why it's popular for gold you buy as a store of value.

How to verify a 916 stamp

High-purity gold is a frequent target for fakes; scan the 916 stamp with the Hallmark Reader and verify with the Is It Real? tool. Anyone can stamp a mark on metal, so a hallmark alone isn't proof — the fastest way to check is to photograph the stamp and run it through the free Hallmark Reader, then confirm the metal itself with the Is It Real? tool. For a full picture of what your piece is worth, get a free jewelry appraisal. To compare 916 with every other mark side by side, see the full jewelry stamps and markings chart.

Frequently asked questions