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England has a long history of hallmarking precious metal items establishing consistency and confidence for manufacturers and consumers alike.
No item may be offered for sale as Gold, Silver or Platinum unless it has been hallmarked.
Each item submitted to an assay office is tested and if it is of the correct standard, hallmarked accordingly, if it is not of the correct standard it is broken up and returned to the supplier for remanufacture.
Until as recently as 1773, the penalty for counterfeiting the Hallmark was death, it was then changed to 14 years transportation to a penal colony. Now the maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment.
Each item could have the following hallmarks:
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1. Maker’s Mark
The Maker's Mark was required by law from 1360 onwards. Today the mark is usually referred to officially as the Sponsor's Mark.
From the late 15th century onwards, initials gradually start to be used - sometimes on their own, sometimes with symbols. By the end of the 17th century symbols are rarely found on their own.
Most Maker's Marks from the mid 18th century onwards use only initials. Increasingly, by this period, the marks represent partnerships and may comprise several sets of initials.
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2. Assay Office
Testing and Hallmarking can only be carried out by an Assay Office. There are only four Assay offices in use today;
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All are run under Government control ensuring independence from outside sources.
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3. & 4. Fineness & Standard
These marks describe the purity of the metal - e.g. 22ct Gold contains 916 parts per 1000 of pure gold.
The changes to the law in 1999 mean that only the New Standard Mark has to be stamped on each item that passes the test.
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5. Date/Year Mark
Up to 1999 all hallmarked items included a date mark, which was usually a letter, which allowed the year of manufacture to be identified very accurately, this was especially useful for dating antique pieces.
From 1478 to 1975 the different Assay offices used different letters and they did not necessarily run from Jan – Dec. From 1975– 1999 the date letters actually represented a calendar year and were the same at each Assay Office.
The changes to the law in 1999 mean it is no longer compulsory for a date stamp.
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6. Special or Commemorative Mark
Commemorative marks were first used in 1934/5 to commemorate the silver jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953/4 and the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 were also commemorated with a mark. More recently, a special addition mark was used to commemorate the Millennium. Any silver made during the years 1999 and 2000 can carry the millennium mark.
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| Some Examples: |
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| Events |
Years(s) Used |
Mark |
| The silver jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary |
1934/5 |
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| Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee |
1977 |
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| Millennium Mark |
1999-2000 |
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| Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee |
2002 |
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Hallmarks and haroldcox.com
All our precious metals have been assayed and carry their respective hallmarks. Where appropriate (antique and estate items) we have included this information in the product details.
If you would like more information or have any questions SEE – Contact Us
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Jewellery
