Jewellery Catalogue co.uk

FINE DIAMONDS & QUALITY JEWELLERY
We promise you the lowest prices in the UK. GUARANTEED

British Gold Assay Hallmarks

Hallmarking and Gold Standards

A hallmark indicates that an article has been independently tested at an Assay Office and guarantees that it conforms to the legal standards of precious metal content, known as the fineness.
A hallmark indicates at least three facts:

Who made the article (makers mark)- the initials of the maker What the metal is, and its purity - the fineness mark Where it was tested (Assayed) and marked - the Assay Office mark

The Leopard's Head is the mark of the London Assay Office and has been in continuous use since 1300, when the Wardens of the Company were given responsibility for marking gold and silver wares, which passed assay, with the King's mark of the Leopard's Head. A handy guide to hallmarks from the different Assay Offices can be purchased quite inexpensively from your local bookstore.

The fineness of the precious metal content of jewellery and silverware is expressed in parts per thousand. Sterling silver is indicated by 925, which means it is 92.5% silver or 925 parts of silver in every 1000 of the silver alloy. The current legislation is the Hallmarking Act 1973. Following amendments to the Act in 1998 and January 1999, the sponsor's mark, fineness mark and Assay Office mark remain compulsory. But the Date Letter indicating the year of hallmarking, which had been in use from 1478, is now a voluntary mark, as are the traditional fineness symbols, the Lion Passant for 925 Silver, Britannia for 958 Silver and the Orb for 950 platinum. Platinum was only recognised as a hallmarkable precious metal since 1976.

The standards of fineness are:

Metal:	Compulsory Mark
9ct gold	375
14ct gold	585
18ct gold	750
22ct gold	916
99% pure gold	990
99.9% pure gold	999
800 grade silver	800
sterling silver	925
Britannia Silver	958
99.9% pure silver	999
85% Platinum	850
90% Platinum	900
95% (UK standard) Platinum	950
99.9% pure Platinum	999

An article cannot be legally described as being of gold, silver or platinum unless it is hallmarked, or the article weighs less than 0.5 grams in platinum, 1 gram in gold or 7.78 grams in silver.

The history of gold and silver quality standards goes back to the early uses of these metals as money. Legal regulations governing the marking of jewellery began here in the UK in 1239 and in one form or another have existed throughout the civilised world since.
Penalties for violation of these laws have varied. In 1397 a report was made on the false counterfeit stamps of two goldsmiths who were sentenced to be placed in the pillory at Westminster with their ears nailed to it and with a ticket over their heads upon which their offences were written. They each later had one ear cut off, were imprisoned and fined 10 marks.