Industry support ensures Hallmarking survives Red Tape Challenge

The initiative, first reported in May’s Jewellery Focus, sought to cut red tape around business by scrapping or simplifying regulations that may be considered “unnecessarily burdensome, overly-bureaucratic or completely redundant” by business and the public, including hallmarking.

However, the industry responded in force in favour of retaining hallmarking in its current form, and the regulation has now been endorsed by the Government as a “well-designed and valuable” one that has widespread support, and will therefore be retained in its existing form.

Mark Prisk MP, the Minister of State for business and enterprise, said: “We are preserving good regulation, such as the hallmarking regime – for which there was strong support”.

The Birmingham Assay Office, an early and vocal supporter of keeping hallmarking as it is, added: “We are strong believers in the trade working together for its own good, and the level of co-operation between the trade associations, trade press, buying groups and major retailers was extremely gratifying.

“There was an unprecedented joint response, which carried significant weight and has resulted in the outcome which we believe to be right and proper – that independent UK hallmarking be retained in its existing rigorous form.”