Assay Office
Assay offices are central to the UK jewellery trade, ensuring the integrity of precious metal goods through hallmarking and quality assurance. For jewellers, manufacturers, and suppliers, staying informed about the activities and developments of the UKโs assay officesโBirmingham, London, Sheffield, and Edinburghโis vital. Jewellery Focus provides comprehensive coverage on hallmarking standards, regulatory updates, innovations in testing and certification, and the broader role assay offices play in supporting the trade.
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Feb- 2016 -18 FebruaryEconomy
Hallmarking down 9.1% in January
The total number of hallmarked items fell 9.1% in January, a decrease of 67,252 articles when compared with January 2015. That is according to latest figures released today by the four UK assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, which found during the month there was a total…
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Jan- 2016 -29 JanuaryTrade Organisations
Edinburgh Assay Office celebrates one year of Heathrow sub office
The Edinburgh Assay Office is celebrating its first full year of operating a sub office at Heathrow Airport. The Hallmarking in Transit (HIT) service, which launched in January last year, was developed to streamline the supply chain for gold and gem set importers. It allows importers of precious metal jewellery…
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25 JanuaryE-Commerce
Online sales โnearly doubleโ for jewellery on โCyber Weekendโ
Online sales of jewellery over Cyber Weekend – the weekend following Black Friday – nearly doubled, according to the Edinburgh Assay Office.ย Figures from the officeโs Hallmarking and Fulfillment Service, which provides online jewellery retailers with integrated hallmarking and direct final mile delivery to consumers, increased โsignificantlyโ in 2015 compared…
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20 JanuaryAppointments
NAJ to propose Simon Johnson as chairman
The National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) saysย its current vice-chairman and co-owner of retail jeweller Marmalade, Simon Johnson, will be proposed as its new chairman at the next annual general meeting. At the associationโs first meeting of 2016 – held on 14 January at the Birmingham Assay Office – current NAJ…
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18 JanuaryCurrent Affairs
2015 full-year hallmarking edges upwards
The total number of hallmarked items fell by 1% in December suggesting a flat Christmas, but the annual figures for full-year 2015 edged up by 1% compared with the previous year. Data from all four assay offices in the UK – compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office – showed the…
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15 JanuaryCurrent Affairs
BCU teams with Birmingham Assay Office for gemmology hub
The Birmingham Assay Office has announced a new collaborative tenancy and partnership with Birmingham City Universityโs (BCU) School of Jewellery.ย As part of the agreement the universityโs gemmology department will move into new premises at 1 Moreton Street in the Jewellery Quarter, which it hopes will enable further development ofย gemmological…
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Dec- 2015 -23 DecemberOpinion
Another step forward in an ongoing challenge
Diamond grading issues have been a hot topic in recent months, but a new ISO Standard could benefit the consumer and retailer. STELLA LAYTON, chief assay master at the Birmingham Assay Office, explains.[divider style=”solid” top=”20″ bottom=”20″] The industry has come a long way since we staged our first Great Debate…
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23 DecemberAnalysis
RIDING HIGH: Will the gold price ever return to its pre-recession levels?
This year has been defined by a sense that we have finally escaped the clutches of recession. But with Chinaโs growth slowing dramatically and stock markets gripped by panic in recent weeks, some are suggesting weโre on the verge of another, much worse, crash. MICHAEL NORTHCOTT explores where we currently…
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16 DecemberEconomy
Hallmarking up 13% in November
Hallmarking figures in November were up 13% as all metals recorded an overall increase in the amount of articles hallmarked. That is according to the latest data released today by the four UK assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, which found the total number of articles hallmarked…
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14 DecemberEditor's Blog
Every reason for Christmas cheer
The industry has done a good job of holding steady and ending a decade of contraction this year. The hallmarking figures graph โbottomed-outโ showing modest but definite increases in almost every month of the last 12. If you take the year-to-date from the latest figures available, we are only down…
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