I bought a ring from a lady yesterday and she said it was sterling silver and that it was Avon. She had the ring in a avon box, when I got home the box is for a princess cut cz the ring I bought was marquise cut. On the inside of ring the marking NV and the size 7. Does anyone know if this is sterling silver or just plated. thanks mamarees53
Question I found this website by doing a search on the internet for jewelry markings.
My question is this:
I received a ring - a very beautiful ring that I believe is silver because it has 925 on the inside of the band. The other marking on the ring is 10 nv. I was wondering what that meant. Does it refer to the ring size as some of my friends say, does it refer to the Diamond and diamond settings or does it mean anything at all?
Thank-you
Tara
Answer Hello Tara, Thanks for this question.
I am not familiar with a "nv" mark that has a particular meaning in the jewelry industry. I would be more likely to think this is a maker's mark than a reference to finger size or the stone content.
A makers mark is required by law in the USA and similar marks in other countries when a ring has a "quality" mark. The "quality" mark is the stamp telling the metal the ring is made of. Yes, you are correct that 925 means sterling silver. This refers to the 92 1/2% pure silver in sterling. (Pure silver is too soft for jewelry wear and copper is added to make the metal more durable.)
If a manufacturer puts in stone information this is generally marked by ct, meaning carat(stone weight) or tw, meaning total weight of all the stones in a cluster style, for instance.
Then again, this could be a style number, such as style "10" by the maker, nv.
To compare ring sizes, all you need to do is know the size your ring actually is. You can compare this to numbers used for ring sizes in a few other countries with an online converter, such as this one:
http://www.onlineconversion.com/ring_size.htm
I used Google and typed in: ring sizes +international for the search.
The mark is really not much to be concerned about. The importance of a maker's mark is to assure the ring is what the metal stamp says and is important in that way.
If you have more to ask pleas do not hesitate to get back to me. You can ask a new question or use the follow-up option for an additional reply to this question.
Tara, enjoy your beautiful ring! Since it is sterling, it is best to keep it out of chlorine, like in swimming pools, etc. That chemical can discolor sterling.
God Bless and Peace to All. Thomas. August 23, 2005 4:23pm
I think the same. This is most likely a maker's mark. I mark some of my creations, depending on how much labor I put into the item. Someone might come across one of mine in years to come and it won't make any sense. lol. People tend to use initials, etc. You can have a die made at most machine shops, with your own logo, etc. and use it to stamp the pieces you make. I hope that NV turns out to be a well known mfg. (would be a cute logo. envy = NV) Good luck
I checked my Avon book and didn't see a designer with those initials nor a design that would work. I do think I've seen that question before and no one knew the answer then either.
Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
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