Usually numbers, like 10k or 14k tell you the grade of the gold that the ring is made out of. Sometimes people have messages or dates engraved in rings that appear on the inside of the band and even some manufacturers stamp their marks on there to distinguish their jewelry from others.
symbols and markings on gold rings have significant meanings. one of these is, it serves as a mark for originality. to determine the fake and the original one.
Usually the symbols and markings are indicators of the type of gold involved - such as 14k which is 14 karat, and the mark is the jewelry company logo.
Karat weight is the amount of gold versus the amount of metal in each ring. For example, 14kt would be 14 parts gold and 10 parts metal. The higher the karat weight the softer the gold. Pure gold is 24 karats, and is not strong enough to make jewelry, so metal is added to make it stronger.