NF Makers Mark

02/21/2018
by Nancy Janeliunas
NF

What do the letters NF mean on my jewelry? This is a frequently asked question as there is a huge amount of jewelry with this mark starting from the 1980s. When you see NF stamped on your jewelry it does not mean Nickel Free or Nickel Filled as posted by everyone who is giving out this information as you scroll through the search results. Since sterling silver jewelry does not contain nickel in its alloy there would be no reason to have to identify it as nickel free. The NF mark is not a reference to the alloy contents as it is the registered trademark for the importer. In addition there may be a THAI or THAILAND stamp for the items manufactured in Thailand.

Registration Number 1754499 NF

Date of the registration 23.02.1993

Date of the termination of the registration of the mark (Cancelled) 26.02.2016

Date of filing of the application 27.12.1990

(Owner) CHAPAL-ZENRAY, INC. Corporation TEXAS, 1451 Wycliff, Dallas TX 75207.

(Registrant) CHAPAL-ZENRAY, INC. Corporation TEXAS, 1451 Wycliff, Dallas TX 75207


The reason why such a large quantity of jewelry is seen marked NF is because Chapal-Zenray is a mass merchandiser in business since the 1980’s. https://www.chapal.com/ . “Chapal, Inc. was established in 1980 and is known as one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of precious metal and gem stone jewelry in the world. Chapal is a strategic partner with many of the mass merchandisers in the U.S. Our services include product design and development, production, inventory management and distribution.”


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Comments

None of this answers what "NF" actually stand for whether it's Chapal incorporated or whatever it still does not make any sense that "nf" is the abbreviation at all
Mìc 01/25/2022, 21:50
Thank you SOOOOO much for the information.
Jennifer 09/30/2021, 21:20
PamelaR. The alloy mixture balance of silver will never be iron. As for nickel it is not a metal that alloys well with silver either. Manufacturer's will not use it in their alloy. However like any metals alloyed by individual casters and foreign makers where supplies are limited, could they throw a bit of nickel in their alloys...sure but those are the non standard exceptions that occurs in all cast metals. Usually those pieces stand out as being poorly or primitively made and would be singled out for further inspection. Sterling silver that is mass manufactured by a major manufacturer will not contain nickel in its alloy. It may have it as a binder layer under rhodium or other plating's over silver in pre-2,000 jewelry. Even if its used on fine jewelry, gold in particular or plated sterling silver items, it is not noted on the item. The only requirement is the seller can not advertise it as nickel free in the US, in the UK they have stricter laws.
Nancy Janeliunas 08/22/2021, 10:20
Thank you so much for your research !!
PamelaR 09/19/2020, 11:44
Sterling silver can have nickel in it. This is found in many cheaper sterlings, where the remaining 7.5% can be iron or nickel, instead of copper like it's supposed to be.
Alexander 03/17/2020, 16:17
Thank you for your research!
Pamela 02/27/2020, 10:02
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