Japanese Jewelry Lots: Read the K18 and SV925 Marks Before You Bid
A lot titled K18 or SV925 is not necessarily all gold or sterling. Real Yahoo examples, how to translate the page into Thai, and what to check before you bid.
Many customers have won Japanese jewelry lots titled K18 or SV925 and found only a few real gold or silver pieces inside; the rest was costume jewelry.
Most sellers say so in the description. Buyers either did not read it or misread the translation.
No time to read? Watch this 1-minute clip first
A real case: a customer bid 15,000 baht on a jewelry lot and got only about 400–500 baht of real gold. The clip walks through what to check before you bid.
1. K18 earrings where only the posts are gold
The title, translated into Thai, reads "posts only - K18 gold ... total weight about 11.4 grams". Only the earring posts are gold, and 11.4 grams is the weight of everything.
A smelter customer of ours paid about 15,000 baht for earrings like these, thinking they were all K18. Only the posts were gold, worth about 400–500 baht.
2. A smelter's warning: K18 500 grams is not 500 grams of gold
- If the title says K18 or 925 but not every piece, do not assume the whole lot is real
- A title like K18 500 grams and so on may hold only 1–10 grams of gold; the rest is base metal. Silver lots work the same way
- If nothing says the pieces are real, assume there is hardly anything real inside
3. Five real Yahoo lots where the title and description disagree
All open when we wrote this (2 October 2026). Read only the titles and all five mislead you.
- The title translates as "18K gold stamped", but the description says "consider everything imitation"
- The title translates as "made of 18K gold", but it is a lot of plated pieces with an 18K mark on only some
- A WG (white gold) mark, but the seller says it is magnetic. Real gold is not
- Every ring is marked, but the seller does not guarantee it is real silver
- K10 gold, but with genuine tortoiseshell mixed in. This lot cannot be imported into Thailand
4. Reading the page once Chrome translates it
- Android: open the link in the Chrome app and tap "Thai" on the bottom bar, or tap the three dots at the top right, then "Translate…"
- iPhone: open the link in the Chrome app, tap the three dots at the bottom right, then "Translate"
Words about gold and silver often come out in misleading ways. Read them this way
- "made of 18K gold" or "18K gold stamped" = possibly only some pieces carry an 18K mark
- "engraving" = a mark
- "quality not guaranteed" = not guaranteed real
- "(magnet)" = magnetic, so not real gold or silver
- "total weight" = the whole lot, not the weight of gold
5. Marks to know
- K18 = 75% gold, not the 96.5% of Thai gold, and Thai gold shops will not pay the Thai gold price for it
- K24 = 99.9% gold
- SV925 = 92.5% sterling silver
- Pt900 = 90% platinum
- GP or GF at the end, as in K18GP = plated, not gold
- SILVER on its own = cannot tell whether it is real
6. Check before you bid
A won auction cannot be cancelled. Before you bid, check
- Tap "see more" and read the whole description, not just the title
- Whether every piece is marked or only some
- Whether "only" follows a mark; if so, the gold is in that part alone
- Whether the weight is the total or the real gold weight
- Whether tortoiseshell or ivory is mixed in. Neither can be imported into Thailand; see the prohibited items article
Not sure? Have an admin check it before you bid
Send the listing link on LINE. An admin will read the full description for you and check the details further: which marks it has, whether unmarked pieces are mixed in, what the stated weight means, and whether anything prohibited is in the lot.
Fees and shipping are on the fee table.
Frequently asked questions
No. Before the auction, Tama-Chan sees only the seller's photos and description, the same as you. A won auction cannot be cancelled, and the warehouse has no metal tester. What an admin can do is read the listing with you first: which marks the seller wrote, and whether unmarked pieces are mixed in.
Platinum is marked Pt900 or Pt950. White gold is marked K18WG, which is 75% gold. They are different metals and very different in price.
Send the Yahoo Auction or Mercari link on LINE. An admin will read the description and tell you which marks it has, whether unmarked pieces are mixed in, and what the stated weight means.
Read next
- Prohibited Items from Japan: All 11 We Cannot ShipThe 11 items Tama-Chan cannot ship back to Thailand, straight from the company's own notice — from alcohol, e-cigarettes and car batteries to powdered and bottled green tea.
- Japanese Second-Hand Condition Grades: What S, A, B and C MeanThe letters have no industry standard — one shop's B is another shop's C. Read them as shorthand for that one shop, and tell a graded verdict apart from a seller's opinion.
- Second-Hand Japanese Luxury Bags: Who to Buy From, What to CheckJapan's resale shops authenticate every bag before it goes on sale. Private sellers do not. That difference counts for more than any spot-the-fake checklist — then you read the condition write-up.
- Service fee and shipping rate tablesCheck the per-item service fee and the sea and air freight rates before you commit
Related keywords
- Japanese jewelry lot
- K18 mark Japan
- SV925 silver mark
- reading Japanese jewelry marks
Found a lot you like and want a second look first?
Sign up and order from Japan yourself, or talk it through with an admin on LINE.