What Is a Hallmark on Silver Jewellery?
What Is a Hallmark on Silver Jewellery, and Why Does It Matter?
If you’ve ever looked closely at a piece of silver jewellery and noticed a tiny stamped mark. That's a hallmark. In the UK, hallmarking isn't optional, it’s a legal requirement for silver pieces over a certain weight (7.78 grams), and it's been protecting buyers for over 700 years.
Here's what the marks actually mean, and why they're worth looking for when you're buying handmade silver.
What is a hallmark?
A hallmark is an official certification mark applied to precious metal items by one of four UK Assay Offices: London, Birmingham, Sheffield or Edinburgh. For a piece to carry a hallmark, it has to be independently tested and confirmed to meet the required metal standard.
For sterling silver, that standard is 925 parts per thousand pure silver. The hallmark is proof that an independent body, not the maker, has verified this.
What the marks tell you
A full UK hallmark on a silver piece typically includes three elements.
The sponsor's mark identifies the maker or manufacturer, and is unique to them. The standard mark shows the fineness of the metal, with 925 being the sterling silver standard. The assay office mark shows which office tested and stamped the piece, each of which uses a different symbol.
Pieces may also carry a date letter, which records the year of hallmarking, and an optional commemorative mark if the piece was made during a specific period.
When is hallmarking legally required?
Under the UK Hallmarking Act 1973, any silver item weighing more than 7.78 grams that is described as silver must be hallmarked before it is sold. Selling unhallmarked silver above this weight as silver is an offence under UK law.
There are some exemptions, typically for very small or fragile items where applying a mark without damaging the piece would be impractical. But for rings, bangles, earrings, and pendants sold as sterling silver, a hallmark is what gives the buyer legal certainty about what they're buying.
What to look for when buying handmade silver
When you’re buying from an independent maker, it's worth asking whether their pieces are hallmarked, and by which assay office. Reputable silversmiths who sell sterling silver pieces over the weight threshold will have a registered sponsor's mark and will send pieces for hallmarking as a matter of course.
A piece described as silver without a hallmark, or stamped only with "925" by the maker themselves rather than an assay office, doesn't carry the same legal guarantee. The 925 stamp alone is not a hallmark.
Hallmarking at Kerry Gallop Jewellery
All my sterling silver pieces weighing more than 7.78 grams are hallmarked at the London Assay Office. I'm registered with a sponsor's mark, and every piece that meets the weight threshold is sent for official hallmarking before it goes out.
I work exclusively with 100% recycled sterling silver, certified to the same 925 standard as any other sterling silver. The hallmark applies to the finished piece regardless of whether the metal was newly mined or recycled.
If you have a question about a specific piece, or want to know more about the hallmarking process before you buy, just ask.
