Dealers notice
Under the Hallmarking Act 1973, dealers who sell precious metal jewellery or items made of precious metal must display a dealer’s notice explaining the approved hallmarks.
The hallmarking process is carried out by an independent body known as the Assay Office, which has been providing hallmarking services for over 700 years. A hallmark is a mark of quality and authenticity and is applied to jewellery pieces that have been tested and verified to meet the legal requirements for precious metal content.
A hallmark consists of several marks, including the Leopard's Head mark of London, which indicates that the jewellery has been tested and hallmarked by the London Assay Office. In addition, the hallmark also includes the sponsor's mark, which is a unique identifier assigned to the jewellery maker. The sponsor's mark is an essential element of the hallmarking process, as it enables the Assay Office to trace the jewellery back to its maker if necessary.
Precious metals are rarely used in their purest form but are usually alloyed with other metals for workability, durability, and wearability. It isn't possible to detect an article's precious metal content by sight or touch. Therefore, it is a legal requirement for an Assay Office to hallmark articles containing precious metals if they are described as such. Weight exemptions apply for items below certain weights. For silver 7.78g, gold and palladium over 1g, and platinum over 0.5g to have a UK-recognised hallmark.
