Hallmarking

What is a Hallmark?

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 standard hallmark formation is horizontal with minimal spacing between the marks.  

Why Hallmark?

Precious metals are rarely used in their purest form but are usually alloyed with other metals for workability, durability, wearability. It isn't possible to detect an article's precious metal content by sight or touch. Therefore, it is a legal requirement for an Assay Office to hallmark articles containing precious metals if they are described as such. (Weight exemptions apply for items below certain weights.  For silver 7.78g, gold and palladium over 1g, and platinum over 0.5g to have a UK recognised hallmark.)

Legality
The UK Hallmarking Act (1973) states that it is an offence for any person, in the course of trade or business, to describe an un-hallmarked article as being wholly or partly made of precious metal(s) or to supply un-hallmarked articles to which such a description is applied.

Click here to view the Dealers' Notice.

I am registered with the London Assay Office and my sponsor mark is my initials – KG inside a diamond shape.  

   

All items that I sell over the weights mentioned above will be laser hallmarked by the London Assay Office.  When ordering please bear in mind that these items will need to be sent to the Assay Office before they can be sent to you.