Introduction
Hallmarking in the United Kingdom of precious metals, subject to certain exemptions, is a legal requirement in the UK. As you will discover in this guide it is the oldest form of consumer protection in history. The UK Assay offices operate independently from government control and under statute from the crown solely for the protection of consumers not the jewellery and precious metal trade. Trading Standards officers monitor compliance and ensure that the law is observed regarding hallmarking of precious metals sold. It is an offence to describe and offer for sale or supply any non-exempt article of precious metal whether partly or wholly made of this metal unless it is hallmarked. When shopping for jewellery always ask “Is it hallmarked?”…its your guarantee.
The UK Hallmarking System Development
The history of Hallmarking and it’s development in the United Kingdom dates back to the Middle Ages. Hallmarking is the oldest form of consumer protection in history and its focus across the centuries has always been to protect customers. This is achieved both now and historically by independent assessment, testing and marking of precious metal goods such as jewellery to guarantee precious metal purity and fineness standards.
In 1066 records show that many craftsmen had already formed guilds that were collective groups to promote quality and their skills in each craft. The first major milestone in the formation of hallmarking as we know it today is when in 1238 King Henry III proclaimed that the Mayor of the City of London along with its Alderman were to choose a group of six goldsmiths of high integrity and trust to manage quality control over the craft of jewellery making and its trade. At this early time in history this was a welcome development as fraud had been experienced by customers purchasing from jewellers not adhering to the accepted quality and purity standards of the craft.
Following success in this endeavour the current members of the guild in 1300 were also endorsed by Edward I as the “Guardians of the craft”. The job of these guardians was to test that all pieces produced met the required standard a process called an assay, derived from the French word “assai” meaning to say or to try. Following this test and a satisfactory standard being met items were punched by hand with the leopard’s head. The leopard’s head is struck to signify items assayed in London to this day. The standard required for silver at the time was referred to as the “Sterling Alloy” a standard still in existence today at 92.5% pure silver. The guardians were also required to assay gold however standards have developed and changed over the centuries from the historic nineteen and one fifths purity known as the “Touch of Paris” standard.
In 1327 a major milestone in hallmarking occurred with the current guild being recognised and receiving Royal Charter from Edward the III. The guild became the “Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths” which is particularly significant in that this body is still responsible for hallmarking in London to this day. This Company assisted in the creation and adherence to the Act of 1363 which required all goldsmiths to stamp their wares. The stamps of the time consisted of the warden’s or kings mark of the leopards head, the makers mark which came in the form of a symbol reminiscent of the brand or name of the shop, a date letter signifying which year the item was assayed and finally a quality or standard mark. Although it has developed significantly, this practice of multiple marks from assaying signifying many facts about the item continues to this day.
No longer in existence today the first “Goldsmiths Hall” was constructed in 1407 and by 1478 goldsmiths were required to bring their wares to the hall to be assayed and stamped. Around this time the gold standard was dropped from the current 19.2 carat to 18 carat (75% pure gold to 25% alloy) a standard still in existence today. At the hall a salaried assay master was employed to oversee the testing and stramping process which was carried out under supervision by an assistant. The leopards head mark also received the addition of a crown and gold gradually came to be assayed and stamped in the same way as silver items. The current goldsmith’s hall in London was built in 1835 and performs the same functions as the two previous halls that have all stood on the same site since 1339.
Hallmarking spread to other assay offices across the country for a variety of practical and commercial reasons. The first of these and the second oldest is the Edinburgh Assay Office which received its Act of Parliament for hallmarking precious metals in 1457. To signify items hallmarked in Edinburgh a three towered castle mark was and is still struck to this day. This was first used as a mark by the office in 1485.
The Birmingham and Sheffield Assay Offices that are still in operation today received their offices as a result of the Act of 1773. Interestingly this was met with significant opposition for commercial reasons by the London Silversmiths and Goldsmiths company. They felt that opening assay offices in other cities might damage their own trade and current monopoly on control of standards in England. Birmingham and Sheffield were growing in to powerhouse industrial cities with thriving silver plate and jewellery manufacturing. It was becoming increasingly impractical to transport wares to either London or the now closed in 1962 Chester assay offices. Delays and also damage or loss of goods in transport was quickly becoming untenable for Sheffield and Birmingham Manufacturers. Matthew Boulton a factory owner and investor in Birmingham employing over 700 people had one such an incident in the transportation of wares destined to be purchased and owned by the Earl of Sherbourne. For him in particular and other factory owners this was the final straw and so he petitioned parliament to act and open a Birmingham Assay Office. The petition was successful not only for Birmingham but also Sheffield with the Act of 1773 granting Assay Offices to both cities that still operate today.
Hallmarking was also developed and important to assure the customer that any historic duties had been paid on items as required by the state and Crown. Between 1784 and 1890 duty was to be paid under the excise Act 1784 on silverwares. To prevent dodging of the duty items submitted to the assay office would have this duty collected by the assay office on behalf of the Excise department and to prove this the current monarch’s portrait was struck in profile as a mark alongside the others. This duty does not exist in the same way in more modern times and so the only time the Monarchs portrait is now struck is for commemorative purposes such as her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Currently there are four Assay offices in the United Kingdom at London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh. Ireland also has an Assay Office located in Dublin. Each assay office fully adheres to the current law and legislation in testing and assuring quality of precious metals for consumers.
Key dates in hallmark law and legislation in modern times are as follows;
The Hallmarking Act 1973
This brought about sweeping changes to what many saw as an archaic system that was confusing for customers. Hallmarking exists for the sole purpose of protecting the consumer. As a result the Hallmarking Act of 1973 sought to standardised and simplify the standards and marks required consistently across all four UK assay offices. Standardisation of punch designs so that they are consistently recognisable to consumers was a major step forward in particular for “The Lion Passant” signifying Sterling Silver. For the first time Platinum was hallmarked at a single fineness of 95% pure described millesimally as 950 or 950 parts per thousand.
Minimum weight limits exemptions before an item legally needs to be hallmarked were introduced too.
These minimum weight standards are still in place today with Silver 7.8g, Gold 1g, Platinum 0.5g and Palladium 1g.
Other exemptions in place at the time of writing this guide are;
The following items are exempt from the fineness standards and don’t require hallmarking.
Coins, Articles for medical (such as dental gold), scientific and similar use, Items for export, Unfinished articles, Scrap and Raw materials and finally, Platinum items made before 1975.
The following items are exempt from assay and hallmarking however they must meet the minimum fineness standards.
Pieces manufactured before 1920, Articles that are too fine, thin or small to be marked, Temporary imports or samples for trade shows or exhibitions, Mouthpieces for all types of musical instruments and finally articles weighing less that the limits listed above.
The 1999 Amendment to the Hallmarking Act 1973
Following the earlier act of 1973 which made huge developments in aligning the UK system with European Community State processes further additional developments were made in 1999. Notably to promote free trade the Import mark required on imported items up until this date was removed and no longer a requirement. Additional fineness marks and standards were added for gold, silver and platinum. Some compulsory marks were also removed from the system including the date letter, lion passant for sterling silver, Britannia mark for Britannia silver, the crown mark for gold and the orb mark for platinum. This reduced British hallmarks to just three compulsory marks. The Sponsor Mark (Makers Mark), The standard mark expressed millesimally (moving towards convention hallmarks) and the Assay Office Mark.
The 2007 Amendment to the Hallmarking Act 1973
This amendment came in to effect due to the jewellery industry increasing its use of mixed materials in jewellery construction to provide consumers with a clear indication of the metals contained within a piece. Now +METAL must be stamped next to the hallmark if stamped on the precious metal part and METAL must be struck on the base metal such as titanium or stainless steel if practical to do so.
The 2007 amendment also brought in the Pre 1950’s Exemption. This means that any item that is dated as pre-1950 in manufacture can be described as precious metal so long as the seller can prove it is of a minimum legal precious metal fineness and that it was manufactured before this date.
The 2009 Amendment to the Hallmarking Act 1973
In 2009 this important amendment addressed the increased use of the precious metal palladium and brought it in to the legal hallmarking system to protect consumers. The amendment established minimum fineness grades of 500, 950 and 999 parts per thousand and introduced the pictorial mark of the head of Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of war, wisdom and craft to signify the precious metal. Importantly the shield changed from a trapezium to the now current three interlocking circle design in which the fineness grade is depicted.
Modern and Historic Assaying and Hallmarking Techniques
Historic techniques and development
Historically items submitted for assay had small amounts of precious metal physically sampled from them by either scraping a sample or rubbing the metal against what is called a touchstone. A touchstone is either an earthenware block or a black siliceous stone where a streak of the metal is left on it following contact. This method led to the assay of metal sometimes being referred to as the “touch” or sampling. In the simplest terms, although surprisingly accurate when performed by an experienced individual, the streak of a precious metal left on the stone was compared with another streak of a known purity visually to confirm fineness and type.
This basic test progressed and was abandoned by Assay Offices in the United Kingdom very early in its history in favour of more accurate and scientific methods. This was highly important to be certain of purity and fineness standards. Samples were subjected to chemical, heat and refinement techniques to be more accurate. For gold a cupellation technique was used which essentially, through a refinement process, determined the amount of pure gold vs alloy contained within the scrapings or sampling to assure fineness standard. For silver the sample is dissolved in nitric acid and then an electrode measuring conductivity detects changes to determine purity when potassium chloride is added.
All of the above processes were and are generally used on unfinished articles. This means that following assay the items will be polished and fine finished removing any trace of the assaying process in terms of sampling and scraping.
Modern Assaying Techniques
Sampling and scraping is now not the best method as the assay office is expected to test fully finished articles where it would be impractical to use a minor destructive test to the finished product. The rise in imports of fully finished items from abroad has meant that non-destructive methods have needed to be developed as in many cases the sponsor does not have the ability to refinish pieces following assay. Whilst these techniques are still used as a backup in case of uncertainty and as a reference technology has provided Assay Office’s with an alternative.
In 1998 the Assay Offices invested heavily in XRF technology. X-ray fluorescence or XRF abbreviated is a non-destructive metal type and alloy analysis technique. This method is not only preferable to be performed on fully finished articles but has also been rolled out to all assaying as of 2005. The Assay Office representative uses the machine to focus X-Rays on to as large an area of the finished article as possible and the machine fires X Rays to excite the atoms in the metal. The way that the atoms respond and emit energy back is analysed automatically by the machine which provides and identification of metal types in the alloy and the percentages contained within each piece. The machine is regularly calibrated against reference samples also to ensure consistent accuracy. This process Is also better for the environment, provides quicker results and causes absolutely no harm to the finished piece being assayed.
Application of the hallmark
Unless specifically instructed by the Sponsor (Customer submitting items for hallmarking) the experts at the Assay Office will determine the best method to apply the hallmark. They take in to account the size and quantity of marks to be included balanced with the size, design, construction and type of item to be hallmarked. There is now two different hallmarking methods that can be used.
The traditional punch mark
This type of mark is either traditionally struck by hand, by a hand operated press or a mechanical hydraulic press. It provides a traditional deep relief in style on articles however pieces must be supported well to withstand the impact of the punch. Each sponsor (maker, company or individual) submitting an item for assay and hallmarking has their own specific punch usually held at the Assay office. This is usually the initials of the person or company.
Laser Hallmarking
This high-tech modern method of applying the hallmark has many advantages similar to the benefits of XRF assaying. Laser hallmarks are applied by a special laser system which directs a laser beam controlled by a computer to laser inscribe the marks on to the item. This is highly accurate and legible for even very small marks. It is particularly useful as a method for hollow, small and fine fully finished items of jewellery that cannot be supported properly for traditional punch techniques.
There are two styles to consider:
An outline mark which is highly legible yet very discreet and perfect for lightly made, hollow and fully finished wares
A relief laser mark gives the appearance of a more traditional punch mark but is still able to be applied without any distortion to the ware being marked. It can add an attractive aesthetic feature to the piece and can be produced in a larger format if required.
What information can Hallmarks tell us?
Please find below a summary of different mark types for reference. Some marks are now optional however it is important to give an overview so that vintage and antique items can be identified.
The first three marks are compulsory on all items from the 1st January 1999. All others are voluntary however sponsors are encouraged to uphold traditions by including them where applicable and appropriate.
The Sponsor Mark - This mark is currently compulsory on all items.
The Sponsor mark tells us the initials of the individual or company that either made or submitted the piece of jewellery for hallmarking after its manufacture. It is featured in the current hallmark format at the start of the marks and is traceable at the Assay Office in which it was registered. The Assay office must approve the initials and surrounding shield design before it can be struck. They reserve the right to reject a mark if it could be confused with current or historic marks protecting the consumer from any potential confusion that may arise and to ensure unique traceability.
The Standard Mark/ Metal Fineness Expressed Millesimally - This mark is currently compulsory on all items.
This is the numerically expressed fineness of the metal. The surrounding shield shape is also an important indicator for the metal type, a cut corner rectangular shield for gold, an oval shield for silver, a pointed pentagon with parallel sides and a flat base for platinum and three interlocking circles for palladium. Palladium had a trapezium shaped shield for a period of only six months in 2009. The number represents the parts in 1000 of pure precious metal compared to that of alloy. For example for sterling silver the mark is 925 representing 92.5% pure silver to 7.5% alloy.
The Assay Office Mark (Town Mark) - This mark is currently compulsory on all items.
Each assay office has its own unique symbol in the United Kingdom. The leopards head for London, The Anchor for Birmingham, The three towered castle for Edinburgh and the Rose for Sheffield. It is important to note that the crown was used historically on silver by Sheffield Assay Office up until 1974 and should not be confused with the crown standard mark for gold. Another mark that you may come across is the Shield bearing the arms of Chester. This assay office closed in 1962. Another mark you may encounter is the Hibernia portrait in profile or harp for Dublin Assay Office.
The traditional Standard Mark (Quality Mark) – This mark is currently voluntary.
These marks pictorially indicate the precious metal and sometimes its standard. The lion passant is used to indicate Sterling Silver, The portrait of Britannia in profile indicates Britannia Silver, The Orb indicates Platinum, The Crown indicates gold and the profile portrait of Pallas Athena indicates Palladium. Since 1973 this type of mark has been standardised across all four UK assay offices.
The Date Letter – This mark is currently voluntary.
The date letter gives a unique insight in to the year that item was submitted to one of the Assay Offices for hallmarking. It is important to note that historically there were inconsistencies between assay offices in which year the date letter represented and the letters in the alphabet that were used. The date in the year that the date letters changed was also not on the 1st of January as one would assume. The Hallmarking Act of 1973 was instrumental in clearing up this confusion for consumers by insisting that all four assay offices use the same alphabet consistently and that the date letter changes on the 1st January each year. On the 1st of January 1975 all four assay offices started consistently with the letter A.
The Commemorative Marks – This mark is currently voluntary.
At key moments in history the assay offices have stamped commemorative marks to celebrate special occasions. These marks include;
The Kings Jubilee Mark- Commemorating 25 years since King George V’s accession to the throne in 1935.
Coronation Mark- Marked on silver plate to celebrate the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
The Queens Jubilee Mark – Used on Silver plate assayed in 1977 to celebrate 25 years since Her Majesty’s accession to the throne.
The Queens Award For Export Mark- Only available and presented to companies with an outstanding track record in export sales. This mark was only applied to silver items since 1989.
The Millennium Mark- Struck from the 1st January 1999 to the 31st December 2000 to celebrate a new millennium.
The Queens Golden Jubilee Mark- Celebrating 50 years since Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession. This mark was struck on gold silver and platinum.
The Diamond Jubilee Mark- Struck in late 2011 to late 2012 to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne.
The Import Mark – For Imported wares pre-1999.
Import marks are interesting variations of the Assay office, or town marks, used to signify an item that has been imported into the United Kingdom and then sent for hallmarking as a legal requirement for these items to be sold in the UK. Each assay office had its own mark which were distinctive and different not only from each other but from the domestic marks entirely. It is important to note that these import marks are no longer used since 1999. In order to promote fair competition and international trade the 1999 Amendment to the Hallmarking Act 1973 addressed this with its removal.
The import mark symbols for each current assay office in the United Kingdom were as follows
London- The sign of the constellation Leo
Sheffield- The sign of the constellation Libra
Birmingham- An equilateral triangle
Edinburgh- The cross of St Andrew
Convention Hallmarks –
The standards of UK hallmarking and the Assay system are admired around the world. Other countries also have their own assay offices outside of the United Kingdom and it was recognised that a consistent set of standards and uniformly recognised marks internationally would benefit trade and most importantly consumers.
In 1976 the United kingdom ratified the Hallmark Convention and twenty other countries have now joined to standardise assay practices and certain minimum fineness marks and standards.
Whilst open to all countries, The key criteria for a member to join the convention are as follows,
· The agreed individual minimum fineness standards in each contracting country will remain unchanged.
· The methods of assay to the approved standards consistent with that of the United Kingdom shall be consistent at Assay Offices of all member countries.
· Finally an agreed set of commonly recognised and approved marks will be struck.
Convention hallmarks are legally recognised in all member states and so this negates the re-assay and hallmarking of finished articles in import and export scenarios where a convention hallmark is struck. This promotes free trade and also most importantly protects the consumer.
A set of Common Control marks were set up which depict the minimum fineness of the article millesimally in the centre of a pair of scales. The shield that this fineness standard lies within is shaped to indicate the metal type. Two interlocking circles represent gold, an angular shield that is cut cornered and shaped around the base of the scale trays indicates silver, Platinum is a four sided diamond shaped shield and palladium is held within a pentagon shield with angled sides and a radiused bottom.
A convention hallmark consists of four compulsory marks. The registered sponsor mark, The common control mark, The fineness standard millesimally repeated and the assay office mark. The standard of fineness is repeated as sometimes it can be difficult to view in the common control mark.
Dealer Notice
In your local jewellers they must always display a reference hallmark card supplied by the assay offices and monitored by trading standards detailing hallmark reference information and the current standards. This is also referred to as the dealer notice. As a customer this should always be available to view for reference and do not be afraid to ask for a copy to review when shopping for your next jewellery purchase. An example of the current reference card can be found on our website here.