Hallmarking
Hallmarking is your guarantee that a metal is genuine. All items being sold as gold, silver, platinum or palladium in the UK must be hallmarked to confirm that they meet the legal standard. There are certain weight exemptions. Items below 1.0g of gold, below 7.78g for silver and below 0.5g for platinum are exempt.
ASSAYING is to determine whether the precious metal content of the alloy meets the required standard.
We are registered as a maker at the London Assay Office. When we have made a piece, we send it to the London Assay Office where it is tested, and if it meets the required standard a HALLMARK is applied.
A hallmark:
- Is a set of component marks applied to articles of the precious metals gold, silver, platinum or palladium.
- Means that the article has been independently tested.
- Guarantees that it conforms to all legal standards of purity (fineness).
- Guarantees provenance by telling us where the piece was hallmarked, what the article is made from, and who sent the article for hallmarking.
The Full Traditional Hallmark comprises five marks:
Sponsor's mark – ours is
Traditional fineness mark (there is not a traditional fineness mark for fine silver 999)
Millesimal fineness mark
Assay Office mark – I’m registered with London, so have their symbol
Date letter mark
These change each year, so you can tell exactly when something was hallmarked. For example
Historically, commemorative marks have been added to the regular hallmark to mark special events. As 2023 is the King's Coronation, an additional mark may be added to the hallmark. This has an additional charge.
If you order an item to be made that is below the minimum weight requirement for a hallmark, you will be given the option of having that item hallmarked at an additional charge.
Download the Dealers Notice Here
