Lifestyle
SIMPLY LIVING FRANCE
What is a Hallmark?
PAGE 26
So, with a bit of trepidation, I applied for my sponsor’s mark. There are only four Assay offices in the UK; London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Sheffield, and every maker’s sponsor mark is unique for identification purposes. A hallmark basically explains the ‘who, ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘when’. The five components represent: sponsors mark, traditional fineness mark, millesimal fineness mark, the Assay Office mark and the date mark.
If you look at your precious jewellery, you should see the little symbols which make up the hallmark. You may have to squint to see it as the size of the hallmark is often adjusted to fit the size of the piece. After I’d been making jewellery for a year or so, I felt ready to start selling it, but as silver and gold are regulated it’s not as simple as setting up a site and selling, as you risk the wrath of trading standards and a very hefty fine! Legally, in the UK, silver jewellery weighing 7.78g or above must be hallmarked. Gold and palladium pieces must be hallmarked if over 1g and platinum pieces if they weigh over 0.5g. This is because it isn’t always possible to guarantee by looking at a piece of jewellery that it is in fact sterling silver or 18ct gold. The Assay office ‘assays’ (analyses) the piece to ascertain it is what you claim it is. Usually, x-rays are used to check the purity but occasionally a minute sample of the metal is removed. The practice of hallmarking started in 1238 when Henry III made the first attempt at regulating the standard of gold and silver, and in 1327 a charter was passed. Goldsmiths Hall in London would ‘mark’ the metal to prove its provenance and finesse – hence ‘Hall Mark’
My hallmark, above, identifies this bangle as being made my me (MTT in a shield), fabricated in sterling silver, with a fineness of 925/1000, hallmark applied at London Assay Office and struck in 2021. Traditional fineness mark – from left, Sterling silver, Britannia silver, Gold, Palladium and Platinum
Millesimal fineness mark – this is used to tell you how fine, or what quality, the metal is, and the shape of the shield indicates the metal type. It shows the precious metal content expressed in parts per thousand.
