Hallmarking

Hall Marking is a legal requirement that all jewellers who create Gold, Silver or Platinum ornaments should follow to be able to trade publically. Brought to pass in the year 1973, The Hallmarking Act necessitates all precious metal articles in the UK to have a hallmark applied by an independent assay office to guarantee the precious metal content of the item.

The article will be tested (assayed) and then marked to an internationally recognised standard of fineness, shown in parts per thousand, such as 925 (Sterling Silver) or 375 (9ct Gold). The only exceptions are items which are light and fall under the exemption weight

The process of Assaying

When a packet containing articles for hallmarking is sent to the Assay Office, it is first weighed and the contents checked to ensure that the number and weights of the enclosed articles correspond with the hallnote which should accompany the packet. The articles are then sampled and assayed before hallmarking is carried out. After that a representative quantity of material from the articles is removed to be given a full assay. Assaying is then carried out to accurately determine the content of the precious metal in an alloy. There are three main methods of assaying: cupellation (for gold), titration (for silver) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry ICP OES (for platinum).

Once a packet and its articles have been assayed successfully, the articles can be marked. There are three main methods of marking: handmarking, pressmarking and lasermarking. The selection of the method of marking used depends on the quantity and nature of the gold, silver or platinum jewellery.

If you have any items that you inherited or bought from an antique dealer recently, you can bring them to us at Outwork Jewellery Services Ltd for Hall marking. We can help you to ascertain the origin and age of your jewellery and can also help to evaluate it appropriately. All ornaments that we have crafted ourselves are also sent to the assay office to be hallmarked, so you can always trust our works and the purity of the metals and gemstones we incorporate in them. Please contact us for any further enquiries you may have, by phone on 0121 688 8808 or by emailing sales@jewelleryservices.com. You are also welcome to drop by at our office at the Jewellery Quarter for an impromptu consultation. Our address is 23/24 Hall Street, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 6BS