WHAT IS A HALLMARK?
A hallmark:- Consists of a series of marks applied to an article of precious metal
- Means that the article has been independently tested
- Guarantees that it conforms to all legal standards of purity (fineness)
- Sponsor's (or maker's or manufacturer's or name) mark
- Metal and fineness (purity) mark
- Assay office mark
- Date mark
- Traditional fineness mark
OTHER MARKS
Other marks can be applied, eg commemorative or international convention marks (example below).
WHY HALLMARK?
Precious metals are rarely used in their purest form but are usually alloyed with other metals. It isn't possible to detect an article's precious metal content by sight or touch. Therefore, it is a legal requirement to hallmark articles containing precious metals if they are described as such.
The UK Hallmarking Act (1973) states that it is an offence for any person, in the course of trade or business, to describe an un-hallmarked article as being wholly or partly made of precious metal(s) or to supply un-hallmarked articles to which such a description is applied.
Dealers are required to display on their premises the statutory notice which describes the approved hallmarks. It is an offence for any dealer to fail to exhibit or keep exhibited the notice. 'Dealer' means a person engaged in the business of making, supplying, selling (including selling by auction) or exchanging articles of precious metal or in other dealings in such articles. The dealers' notice can be downloaded from here or alternatively a display copy can be purchased for £10 plus P&P. Please contact us for further information.
For further information please go to our Download Centre