What Is Nice Class 14?
Nice Class 14 is the trademark classification for jewelry, precious metals, and timepieces. It covers precious and semi-precious metals and their alloys, gemstones and pearls, all kinds of jewelry — rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches — and the entire world of horology: watches, clocks, and their parts. It is the class where fine jewelry houses and watchmakers live side by side.
The pairing of jewelry and watches in one class surprises many founders, but it reflects how these goods have historically been made and sold together — by jewelers and in jewelry shops. A watch brand and a diamond brand file in the same class, even though their products are very different.
What Class 14 Covers
- Precious metals (gold, silver, platinum) and their alloys, raw or semi-worked
- Jewelry: rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches, pendants, and charms
- Costume jewelry and fashion jewelry, not only precious-metal pieces
- Gemstones, diamonds, pearls, and semi-precious stones
- Watches, wristwatches, and watch components (movements, dials, straps)
- Clocks, chronometers, and other timekeeping instruments
- Jewelry boxes and presentation cases
What it excludes: jewelry made of leather is still Class 14 if it functions as jewelry, but watch apps and smartwatch software sit in Class 9, and a fitness-tracking smartwatch as an electronic device is typically Class 9, not Class 14. This is a live boundary as wearables blur the line between timepiece and computer.
Boundary note: A traditional analog watch is Class 14. A smartwatch sold primarily as a wearable computer is usually Class 9. Many smartwatch makers file both classes to cover the device as electronics and as a timepiece, since the product genuinely sits between the two categories.
Color and Design Marks: The Tiffany Blue Example
Class 14 produces some of the most famous non-traditional trademarks in the world. Tiffany & Co. protects a specific robin's-egg blue — "Tiffany Blue" — as a trademark for its boxes and packaging in the jewelry category. The color itself, divorced from any name or logo, functions as a source identifier because consumers instantly associate it with the brand.
Registering a color is one of the hardest things to do in trademark law. You must prove the color is non-functional and has acquired distinctiveness through long, exclusive use and heavy promotion. Most attempts fail, but in a category as visually driven as jewelry, a successful color or design mark can be enormously valuable. The full picture is in our guide on whether you can trademark a color.
Notable Brands in Class 14
- Tiffany & Co. — the name, the blue box, and "Tiffany Blue" itself, a textbook color trademark
- Rolex — the wordmark and the five-pointed crown device, among the most counterfeited and most defended marks in luxury
- Cartier — the name plus design elements of iconic pieces like the Love bracelet and Panthère line
- Pandora — charm and bracelet system marks that anchor a global costume-and-fine jewelry brand
Pairing Class 14 With Other Classes
- Class 14 + Class 18: jewelry brands that add handbags or small leather goods extend into Class 18. See our Class 18 guide.
- Class 14 + Class 25: fashion houses that span jewelry and clothing file both.
- Class 14 + Class 35: covers retail and e-commerce sales of the pieces.
- Class 14 + Class 9: increasingly relevant for smartwatch and wearable-tech brands.
Common Filing Mistakes
- Assuming costume jewelry is a different class: fashion and costume jewelry are Class 14, the same as fine jewelry.
- Misfiling smartwatches: a connected wearable is usually Class 9, not Class 14 — or both.
- Overlooking design protection: brands with a signature piece sometimes protect only the name and miss design-mark or trade-dress options.
- Descriptive names: "Diamond Sparkle Jewelers" and similar describe the goods and tend to be refused.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are watches and jewelry really in the same trademark class?
Yes. Nice Class 14 covers both jewelry and timepieces — watches, clocks, and their parts — alongside precious metals and gemstones. The grouping reflects how jewelers historically made and sold both, so a watch brand and a fine-jewelry brand file in the same class.
What class is a smartwatch in?
Usually Class 9, because a smartwatch is primarily a wearable electronic device. A traditional analog watch is Class 14. Many smartwatch makers file both classes to protect the product as electronics and as a timepiece, since it sits between the two.
Can I trademark a color for jewelry, like Tiffany Blue?
It is possible but difficult. You must prove the color is non-functional and has acquired distinctiveness through extensive, exclusive use so that consumers associate it specifically with your brand. Tiffany's robin's-egg blue is the famous success story; most color-mark attempts fail because the bar is so high.
Is costume jewelry in a different class from fine jewelry?
No. Both fine jewelry and costume or fashion jewelry are in Class 14. The class is defined by the type of product — jewelry — not by whether it is made from precious metals. A brand selling both files them together in Class 14.
Search Class 14 Before You File
Jewelry and watch branding is dense and heavily enforced, especially at the luxury end. Use tmarkmetric to browse registered Class 14 trademarks, see which names and collections are already protected, and search the full registry before you commit to engravings, packaging, and collateral. A clear name across Class 14 — and any adjacent classes you need — is worth verifying first.