A hallmark is a set of marks applied to articles of the precious metals gold, silver, platinum and palladium. A hallmark means that the article has been independently tested and guarantees that it conforms to all legal standards of purity (fineness).

 

Articles below a certain weight are exempt from hallmarking

Gold - 1 gram

Silver - 7.78 grams

A UK hallmark is generally horizontal and consists of several marks, with minimal spacing:

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• Sponsor's (or Maker's) mark - who submitted the article for hallmarking)

• Traditional fineness (purity) mark - A Lion for sterling silver, a crown for gold

• Millesimal fineness mark - A number showing parts per thousand eg. 925 (indicating the piece is 92.5% pure silver) for sterling silver, 375 for 9 carat gold

• Assay office mark - A leopard's head for the London Assay Office

• Date letter mark - A letter represents the year the item was stamped

 

For articles requiring a hallmark, the marks above are compulsory, except the traditional fineness and date letter marks.

 

My pieces are all under the relevant weight limits and so are not required to be hallmarked. Applying for my own maker's mark is something I intend to do one day, when my business is a little more established.

For more information about hallmarking please visit the London Assay Office website.