Hallmarking - Why Is It Important?

It is not possible to determine the precious metal content of a piece by touch, feel, or colour alone. Hallmarking involves applying a series of marks to precious metals to indicate their content. This visible assurance helps protect against under-caratting.

Hallmarking dates back to 1300 and is one of the oldest form of consumer protection in the United Kingdom. Today, under the Hallmarking Act 1973 (and its subsequent amendments), all items sold in the United Kingdom described as gold, silver, platinum, or palladium must bear a legally recognized hallmark.

Hallmarks are applied by regulated assay offices, which are independent of the trade. This independence ensures that the hallmark serves as a trusted guarantee for both consumers and traders. The integrity provided by independent testing is a key reason why hallmarking has endured for over 700 years.

The proportion of the metal's cost within the total price of a finished product is consistently higher compared to other manufactured goods. This disparity can lead unscrupulous dealers to deceive customers by passing off base metals or metals with low precious metal content as authentic precious metals.

The jewellery industry's credibility has been significantly bolstered by the hallmarking conducted by assay offices and the enforcement efforts of Trading Standards Inspectors. A prime example of this is the introduction of palladium, which required the hallmark's guarantee to gain public confidence in purchasing palladium items.

Hallmarking, a well-established method of consumer protection, is now more vital than ever, given the historically high prices of precious metals and the rise of international trade. Rather than being a burden, hallmarking offers significant benefits to businesses by providing numerous added value opportunities. Assay offices, with their large teams of expert staff, hold an unrivalled reputation globally. Their strategic position in the supply chain allows them to offer additional services to the trade, some of which are crucial for health and safety purposes.

At Wilson's Precious Metals we're commited to handcrafting our customers genuine gold & silver jewellery. As part of this commitment we offer Hallmarking on most of our products regardless of it's weight. All of our gold pieces weighing over 1 gram and silver weighing over 7.78 grams will be Hallmarked already to ensure authenticity. For more information on what each Hallmark means checkout our other Hallmarking Blog Page.

Another part of our legal obligation when supplying gold & silver jewellery is displaying a Dealers Notice. You can view our Dealers Notice by clicking this link or by clicking the link at the bottom of our website.

London Assay Office Hallmark Examples