Hallmarking Sterling Silver Jewellery
All of my jewellery is hand made in sterling silver.
UK legislation requires that any item sold as 'silver' and weighing more than 7.78g, must be Hallmarked.
A Hallmark is a guarantee that the item has been assayed, to ensure it meets the standard of 'fineness' or purity, which for sterling silver is 92.5% silver.
A Hallmark consists of a stamp which includes the the Assay Office symbol (see below), a symbol or number denoting level of fineness (e.g. 925 for sterling silver), and also the sponsors mark. For hand made jewellery, the sponsors mark is sometimes referred to as the 'makers mark' and is usually the unique symbol of the individual who made the jewellery.
A simple 925 stamp on a piece of silver is not a hallmark and is no guarantee that the item is made of 925 sterling silver.
All of my silver jewellery weighing above 7.78g will be hallmarked by the Birmingham Assay Office, to comply with the UK legislation.
Whilst I do not hallmark my jewellery below this weight, I only use 925 sterling silver supplied by a long established, reputable UK bullion dealer.
UK legislation requires that any item sold as 'silver' and weighing more than 7.78g, must be Hallmarked.
A Hallmark is a guarantee that the item has been assayed, to ensure it meets the standard of 'fineness' or purity, which for sterling silver is 92.5% silver.
A Hallmark consists of a stamp which includes the the Assay Office symbol (see below), a symbol or number denoting level of fineness (e.g. 925 for sterling silver), and also the sponsors mark. For hand made jewellery, the sponsors mark is sometimes referred to as the 'makers mark' and is usually the unique symbol of the individual who made the jewellery.
A simple 925 stamp on a piece of silver is not a hallmark and is no guarantee that the item is made of 925 sterling silver.
All of my silver jewellery weighing above 7.78g will be hallmarked by the Birmingham Assay Office, to comply with the UK legislation.
Whilst I do not hallmark my jewellery below this weight, I only use 925 sterling silver supplied by a long established, reputable UK bullion dealer.