hallmarking
Have you ever wondered why not every piece of jewellery is hallmarked? And do you know what “hallmarked” means?
I have adored jewellery for as long as I can remember, but until I was making jewellery myself, I didn’t really understand why some pieces of sterling silver jewellery had a “925” stamp and why others had a series of stamps, which is known as a hallmark. I now know the answer, so I thought I’d write this blog to pass on that knowledge. It can get quite technical, but I’ll try to keep this as simple as possible.
Hallmarking is a UK standard, and the purpose of the process is to protect buyers of precious metal items, such as jewellery. A hallmark is a series of stamps/marks which shows that the item has been independently tested and verified. If a piece of jewellery is described as being made from gold, silver or platinum, it must have a legally recognised hallmark, but only when a piece of jewellery is over a specific weight. It’s worth noting that anyone can apply a “925” stamp to a piece of metal, so seeing “925” on a piece of jewellery does not provide any guarantees.
If a piece of jewellery is made using a precious metal and it weighs less than a certain amount, it is not compulsory to apply a hallmark. The minimum weight thresholds are as follows…
Gold - 1 gram
Silver - 7.78 grams
Platinum - 0.5 gram
Most of the jewellery that I make is sterling silver, and the hallmarking requirement for sterling silver is to hallmark pieces that weigh over 7.78g. This means that my sterling silver bangles are hallmarked, however smaller items made using sterling silver (such as earrings and rings) are not hallmarked. The hallmarking process has a cost associated with it, because each piece of jewellery has to be sent to the Assay Office to be tested and for the stamp to be applied, and there is a charge for this, payable to the Assay Office.
I have therefore chosen to only hallmark sterling silver pieces that are over 7.78g in weight, to keep the price of my jewellery as low as possible for my customers. Saying this, I am always happy to send pieces away to be hallmarked if requested, however there would be an additional charge for this.
One of my Fused Bangles, hallmarked by the London Assay Office
I buy all of my sterling silver from a reputable precious metals supplier, so there is never any doubt that my pieces are genuinely sterling silver, regardless of whether they are hallmarked or not.
The thing that I love about a hallmark is that it tells a story - Each symbol that makes up the hallmark (i.e. the series of stamps) has a meaning. A full UK hallmark tells you…
Who submitted the jewellery for hallmarking - The sponsor’s mark
What metal the piece is made of - The metal fineness mark
Where the article was hallmarked - The assay office town mark
When the article was hallmarked - A date letter
An example Hallmark
Katherine Wilsey Jewellery is registered with the London Assay Office, which means that every piece of jewellery hallmarked, is stamped with a KW stamp, along with a stamp which shows that the piece was made and hallmarked in London. A copy of my hallmarking dealers notice can be found here.
I hope this has helped you to understand more about the hallmarking process. If you have any questions, please do not hestitate to contact me.