September 12
We have just finished the Wirksworth Arts Festival. Thank you to all who sought me out and took home a little piece of my heart, be it earrings, pendants or rings…On to Melbourne next weekend…
People often inquire about Hallmarking precious metals. I am frequently surprised how little is known about this process and thought perhaps it might be of interest to some of you what is meant by Hallmarking and what actually takes place in the process.
The first UK Assay Office was Goldsmiths’ Hall, founded around 1300, and where the term “Hallmarking” originates, meaning “marked in Goldsmiths’ Hall”. Since then, there have been ten Assay Offices in the UK, and now there are four remaining Assay Offices in the UK:
Birmingham, London, Edinburgh and Sheffield.
Customers often tell me that a piece of jewellery they own has been hallmarked because it bears a 925 stamp mark. This is not a Hallmark. Any maker can purchase a stamp and punch it themselves. A true Hallmark means that the Assay office (an independent assessor) has tested the metal and applied the appropriate guarantees in the manner of a Hallmark. These marks are added to the jewellery via hammering onto the piece or as in my case, using a laser.
A real Hallmark contains at least three marks on the jewellery. The first mark is the maker’s, or sponsor’s mark. The jeweller or importer chooses a unique mark that can be traced by the purchaser through the assay office records. The second is the purity of the metal; for example 925 which means the silver is 92.5 per-cent silver and 7.5 per-cent other metals (could be copper for example). The third is the office which has marked the piece…ie: Birmingham uses the anchor as its mark. Sometimes a fourth mark is used which indicates the year of Hallmarking…
The law is very clear about selling precious metals (gold, silver, platinum). Any silver item over 7.8 grams in weight must be hallmarked by the Assay office. An Assay sign must be displayed on the stall or in the shop. After making a piece, I weigh it and determine whether or not it must be Hallmarked. The weight of the piece means the weight of the metal. If a piece has a large stone but not much silver it needn’t carry a mark. Be aware that much of what passes as silver (stamped 925) sold in markets, at fairs etc. is imported from India or China. The designs are often attractive and very showy and usually use semi-precious stones. Many of the stones are reconstituted (turquoise for example). Customers are often impressed by the price as it tends to be very cheap… Peter and I had some of this jewellery tested and the Assay office told us that there was some silver, but not much. They also told us that there was lead, mercury and nickel etc. in the mix. This is worrying. If jewellery is sold cheaply it means it is likely to be full of metals and substances you would rather not wear next to your skin!! The Assay office was most concerned.
Hallmarking does not come cheaply. There are upfront costs to set up a Hallmark, as well as a cost for each piece I send to the office. I would love to be able to afford hallmarking everything I make, but this would add at least £5 onto the piece, and this is significant when the pendant for example is only £25. Most people find custom made jewellery expensive, especially as the silver price has skyrocketed this year. I try my best to keep my prices reasonable. However, anything of mine over the 7.8 grams of silver is always Hallmarked. At times you may see pieces over 7.8 grams on my table with a sign indicating they need to be hallmarked. If you are happy to accept the fact I can’t guarantee the silver content, (they are always what I say they are, but legally I cannot sell them to you as silver) you may buy them that day and take them home. Otherwise, you can put a deposit on the piece or pieces and I will send them to the Birmingham Assay Office and when they are ready I will send them on to you. Because Birmingham tends to take a couple of weeks to turn items around I can find that I need to show some items that I have just completed. My stock of ready- made Hallmarked items might be low due to a previous week’s show. It is also difficult when I mix metals in my pieces. Any silver embedded into bronze, or attached in any way will not carry a hallmark. The Assay office refuses to Hallmark in these cases as it might cause confusion to the customer who might think the bronze had a silver content. I will say that the bird is silver (which it is) and the bird house is bronze…however, I cannot guarantee the silver content, as I cannot get the piece Hallmarked…
So now you have an insight into Hallmarking. For those interested in the history and a list of countries which Hallmark please go onto Wikipedia. Meanwhile, do not be afraid to question traders. Ask them where they Hallmark. Do not accept that because an item says 925 it is hallmarked. You may find some makers or sellers are genuinely ignorant of the law. Many however, may be trying to deceive you. Now that you know the law tell them what they should be doing and above all please do not support this kind of illegal trade, no matter how lovely the jewellery may seem to be.
Come and visit me on the stand. If you have any questions regarding Hallmarking I will try my best to answer them or point you in the right direction. Meanwhile, enjoy searching for the jewellery of your dreams and hopefully you just might find it at The Moon Up Above!