Posted 8th July 2024

Britain has a long established history of hallmarking sincethe 1300's. This is well documented over the internet.

Before selling any product above a certain weight the item has to be hallmarked by one of four independent assay offices in Britain. Edinburgh, Sheffield, London or Birmingham.

The basic starting point is that products made from Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium, have to be independently hallmarked before being placed on the market and described as such.

Products do not have to be hallmarked if the metal weighs less than,

1.00 gram for Gold 

7.78 grams for Silver 

0.5 grams for Platinum 

1.00 gram for Palladium

A hallmark consists of three compulsory marks. The sponsors mark, the fineness or standard mark and the assay office mark. There are other optional marks that can be included if you desire this.

The hallmark is your guarantee of the purity or fineness of the metal of the precious item of jewellery you have bought.