A hallmark is a physical mark applied to jewellery by an Assay Office. A hallmark independently guarantees the precious metal fineness of any piece of jewellery upon which it is applied. A hallmark can only be appointed by an independent, government-authorised Assay Office. Precious metal jewellery over a certain weight cannot be sold in the United Kingdom without a hallmark. The UK hallmarking system has operated for over 700 years, and is internationally valued by consumers for the guarantee it offers and by the jewellery industry for the recognised quality standard it represents.
There are four government-authorised Assay Offices in the UK—Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield. By Appointment have partnered with the Edinburgh Assay Office (EAO) to provide a fully authorised, state-of-the-art, on-site sub-office within our facility here at London Heathrow. This allows for fast and efficient assay and hallmarking as an integrated part of our UK importation process. We have developed this solution in partnership with EAO to reduce lead times, minimize risk and reduce carbon emissions by minimising the transport of high-value product during the import and compliance process.
This guide is a step-by-step beginners guide to understanding what hallmarks are, your legal obligations to have items hallmarked and an overview of the additional benefits that hallmarking your products provides.
What are the Key Elements of a Hallmark?
Hallmarks are a series of marks that are applied to precious metal articles. A hallmark guarantees the precious metal content of an item, but it can also tell you much more information about a piece and where it comes from.
Hallmarks can be found in many places – on the inside of a silver ring, the catch of a gold necklace or stem of a silver spoon. When looking at a hallmarking, you will see at least 3 essential marks. We refer to these marks as the Who, the What and the Where.
1. Who?
This is known as the Sponsor’s Mark or Maker’s Mark, and it tells the consumer who was responsible for placing this item on the market. This mark is registered with the Assay Office and is applied alongside other parts of the hallmark. Sometimes, this mark is the brand’s logo or at least two letters in a shaped surround. Sometimes the Sponsor’s Mark relates to the company who manufactured the product, and other times it is registered to the agent importing the product. We can arrange the registration of Sponsor’s Makrs through our partner, the Edinburgh Assay Office. We can also authorise our clients to use our own By Appointment registered Sponsor’s Mark. The Sponsor’s Mark allows the products to be traced back to the importer or their agent. For retail brands, the Sponsor’s Mark is an added security and brand identity device that lets the consumer know the product is genuine.
2. The What?
This is sometimes referred to as the fineness mark, standard mark or purity mark. It is a number which gives you precious metal content in parts per thousand (i.e. 750 or 925). Each precious metal has a different shape of shield surrounding the number. The shape tells the consumer what the metal is and the number tells the consumer what the purity is.
3. The Where?
This third symbol is known as the Assay Office mark and tells the consumer which authorised Assay Office carried out the testing and applied the hallmark. For nearly 600 years, the Edinburgh Assay Office has applied their iconic castle mark alongside every hallmark applied.
Our state-of-the-art, in-house sub-office operated by Edinburgh Assay Offices uses the latest non-contact laser marking technology. This approach to hallmarking has been developed specifically for marking delicate, fully-finished jewellery pieces, providing perfect, repeatable results every time.
Edinburgh Assay Office have developed the 5 P’s of hallmarking. When applying hallmarks, they fulfil this mantra: Perfect, Precise, Positioned, Protected and Permanent. The marks are applied with no effect to the piece, and they are designed to last the lifetime of a product.
Why Hallmarking Matters
So why incorporate hallmarking as part of your import process and apply for a hallnote to submit your goods through our onsite suboffice facility? Why would you promote hallmarking to your customers or to your consumers in-store?
The first reason is that it is required by law and the reputational impacts and legal repercussions that come from failing to comply with UK legislation can be serious.
In addition to the legal requirements, even today, antique jewellery is worth far more when the hallmarks are present, as it assures resellers and collectors of their purity, origin and authenticity of a piece.
For buyers, hallmarks ensure the quality of the goods they are buying has been independently verified. The piece comes with a guaranteed purity, preventing consumers from overpaying for low-quality materials that have been misdescribed to appear high-value.
For retailers, not only does it provide assurance to buyers and therefore builds all important trust at the point of sale and gives consumers the confidence to buy.
When that all-important piece of jewellery has been passed down through generations, the added value of a hallmark remains as effective as the day it was originally purchased. The hallmark continues to attest to the origins, provenance and purity to any potential future owners.
Next Steps
Elevate your supply chain and pre-hallmark your jewellery to meet UK and EU requirements. In addition to meeting compliance requirements hallmarked pieces truly are the gift that keeps on giving, providing lasting trust, quality assurance and added value for the lifetime of a product.
