Hallmarking Guide
I am registered for hallmarking with The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in London, the oldest Assay Office in the UK, first registered in 1327!
All my handmade pieces carry my Maker’s mark: the initials ‘RC’ within a diamond shape. This confirms each piece is both authentic and traceable.
My father, Tiny, had stylised initials of ‘MC’ in a triangle shape. As my story involves and is heavily influenced by both my parents, I have opted for a diamond shape, honouring the origins of the triangle but reflected to encompass my mother, Penny, into the design, creating the initials ‘RC’ for Roskell-Cheale in a diamond shape shown here.
All of my hallmarked pieces are struck with a punch where applicable as I feel this honours the traditional process of hallmarking. When a struck hallmark is too aggressive for delicate and finer pieces of jewellery, a laser hallmark will be requested.
What needs to be hallmarked?
Platinum, gold, palladium and silver are often mixed with other metals to improve strength, durability, colour and finish. As precious metal content cannot be confirmed by sight or touch, UK law requires most items described as precious metal to be independently tested and hallmarked by an Assay Office.
Any new or pre-owned item described as being wholly or partly made from platinum, gold, palladium or silver must be hallmarked, unless it falls within an exemption. This applies to items sold online, in shops, at markets and through galleries.
Exemptions
Items below the following weights are exempt from hallmarking:
Platinum 0.5 grams
Gold 1.0 gram
Palladium 1.0 gram
Silver 7.78 grams
What does a hallmark show?
A hallmark confirms that an item has been independently tested and meets the required legal standard of purity, known as fineness. A full UK hallmark usually includes:
Sponsor’s or Maker’s mark
Traditional Fineness mark
Metal purity mark
Assay Office location mark
Date letter
For more information, please see the Assay Office Dealer Notice below:
