HALLMARKING

Did you know that it is a legal requirement that any silver item being sold that weighs over 7.78g or gold that weighs over 1g must be hallmarked?

A hallmark is a series of stamps which provides independent guarantee of the purity of the precious metal. These stamps are added to a finished item by an Assay Office, once they have tested the metal. I use the Edinburgh Assay Office to provide my hallmark, because of my links with Scotland (but that’s a story for another day!)

A full hallmark is made of a set of tiny stamps indicating the metal and its fineness, which Assay office has stamped the mark, the date of the hallmark, and the maker’s own ‘sponsor’s’ mark. I sometimes choose also to hallmark pieces that weigh under the required weight. I like to think that my designs, particularly those that are bespoke, or one-of-a-kind, are permanently etched with my maker’s signature.