REGISTERED TRADEMARK What Does It Mean? In the United States of America, if manufacturers put a quality mark on a precious metal item, they must, according to The National Gold and Silver Stamping Act, also put their own mark, and their mark must be trademarked. This is so that they can be held accountable for the precious metal content of the item. The name KRISTIN is a Registered Trademark. Kristin Anderson marks all her works with ® the metal content mark, the year that the piece was made, and the copyright mark ©.