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 UK’s assay offices—Birmingham, London, Sheffield, and Edinburgh—is 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.
-
May- 2014 -27 MayEvents
Goldsmiths’ Company to showcase services at New Designers event
The Goldsmiths’ Company is set to sponsor the annual ‘New Designers’ exhibition, supporting young jewellers and silversmiths, on June 25 – 28. The exhibition showcases the work of recent graduate designers from the UK’s leading educational institution with The Goldsmiths’ Company, the longest standing sponsor of the awards, sponsoring two…
Read More » -
15 MayEconomy
April hallmarking figures up by a fifth, 9ct gold up almost 50%
Figures released by The Birmingham Assay Office have revealed that the total number of articles hallmarked for April increased by 20.3 per cent on last year. The figures, which reflect the flows through four UK assay offices, showed the strongest performing metal category was once again 9 carat gold, which…
Read More » -
15 MayRetailers
Birmingham jeweller fined £25,000 for breach of Hallmarking Act
A Birmingham jeweller was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment earlier this week, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay a total of £25,000 after pleading guilty to 17 offences, under the Hallmarking Act 1973. Amjad Mahmood Yousif, trading as Crown Jewellers at 39 Formans Road, Sparkhill, was ordered to…
Read More » -
7 MayTrade Organisations
Ground broken on new Birmingham Assay Office site
Birmingham Assay Office bosses joined members of their building project team to begin work on the site of the new building at Icknield Street last week. The Assay Office has been at its current home in Newhall Street since 1877, and says that the move within the Jewellery Quarter “demonstrates…
Read More » -
2 MayAnalysis
FEATURE: The End of the Gold Rush
The gold price has stabilised, and the slump in gold hallmarking has bottomed out. And now that the commodity traders are losing interest, MICHAEL NORTHCOTT asks whether the scrap-buying craze has caused any lasting change to the market. Two very significant trends have appeared that will likely have a profound…
Read More » -
Apr- 2014 -7 AprilEconomy
Q1 hallmarking figures rise 23%, gold jewellery on the up-and-up
The number of articles hallmarked across the four UK assay offices rose by 23 per cent in the first three months of 2014 compared with the same period the previous year, according to the latest figures. In a statement, the Birmingham Assay Office revealed that the best performers were 9ct…
Read More » -
Mar- 2014 -14 MarchEconomy
Hallmarking figures for 9ct gold rise more than 33%
Figures released today by the Birmingham Assay Office show that the number of 9ct gold items hallmarked across all four UK assay offices rose more than 33% in February, compared with the same period the previous year. After 9ct gold, the next best performing category was sterling silver, which is…
Read More » -
5 MarchCurrent Affairs
Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office named ‘apprenticeship trailblazer’
The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office has been named by the government’s apprenticeships scheme as an ‘Apprenticeship Trailblazer’ for the craft sector. The announcement was made during the start of National Apprenticeship Week which began on March 3. The Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Programme currently enables individuals to train as hallmarkers in…
Read More » -
Jan- 2014 -14 JanuaryCurrent Affairs
BAO announce 1.9% decline in hallmarking
Hallmarking has dropped 1.9 per cent on last year according to The Birmingham Assay Office 2013 hallmarking figures. The decline, compared to figures for 2012, show that the four UK Assay Offices hallmarked 9,156,858 articles in 2013 compared to 9,331,451 the previous year. This slight drop however is an improvement…
Read More » -
Nov- 2013 -13 NovemberTrade Organisations
Industry members get tour of AnchorCert Lab
The AnchorCert Gem Lab opened its doors to the industry earlier this month, allowing retailers and gemmologists to tour its facilities. The tour of the laboratory, which is filled with state of the art equipment, allowed those in attendance to gain a better understanding of the sophisticated technology which is…
Read More »
