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The number of gold items hallmarked fell 20.6% to 489,924 articles – from 617,421 in the same month last year – as hallmarking recorded a gloomy month in October.
Latest figures released from the four UK assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, found overall hallmarking during the month fell 17.1% from 1,186,648 in October 2015 to 983,327.
The high-value category of gold saw 9-carat articles fall 22.4% from 461,695 hallmarked pieces last year to 358,228, while the number of 14ct and 18ct gold articles hallmarked fell 28.2% and 12.8%, respectively.
Meanwhile, the number of silver hallmarked items fell 13.9% from 536,536 last year to 462,212, while platinum (4.1%) and palladium (6.5%) also reported a decrease in the number of hallmarked articles.
| Month | Month | Variance | % | ||||
| Oct-15 | Oct-16 | ||||||
| 999 | Gold | 175 | 55 | -120 | -68.6 | ||
| 990 | 17 | 10 | -7 | -41.2 | |||
| 916 | 47,069 | 38,796 | -8,273 | -17.6 | |||
| 750 | 97,382 | 84,880 | -12,502 | -12.8 | |||
| 585 | 11,083 | 7,955 | -3,128 | -28.2 | |||
| 375 | 461,695 | 358,228 | -103,467 | -22.4 | |||
| 617,421 | 489,924 | -127,497 | -20.6 | ||||
| 999 | Silver | 1,553 | 943 | -610 | -39.3 | ||
| 958 | 1,528 | 2,231 | 703 | 46.0 | |||
| 925 | 533,416 | 459,037 | -74,379 | -13.9 | |||
| 800 | 39 | 1 | -38 | -97.4 | |||
| 536,536 | 462,212 | -74,324 | -13.9 | ||||
| 999 | Platinum | 3 | 1 | -2 | -66.4 | ||
| 950 | 25,570 | 24,529 | -1,041 | -4.1 | |||
| 900 | 41 | 23 | -18 | -43.9 | |||
| 850 | 12 | 31 | 19 | 158.3 | |||
| 25,626 | 24,584 | -1,042 | -4.1 | ||||
| 999 | Palladium | 572 | 0 | -572 | -100.0 | ||
| 950 | 5,593 | 5,693 | 100 | 1.8 | |||
| 500 | 900 | 914 | 14 | 1.6 | |||
| 7,065 | 6,607 | -458 | -6.5 | ||||
| Totals | 1,186,648 | 983,327 | -203,321 | -17.1 | |||
