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.
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Jun- 2020 -4 JuneAppointments
Birmingham Assay office elects five new guardians
The Birmingham Assay office has announced the election of five new guardians of the standard of wrought plate. The raft of appointments include Simon Dawe, sales director of TH March, Kevin Saunders a regulatory and criminal barrister, David-Louis Hendley of Artfull Expression, alongside Russell Jeans CEO of Sefton Consulting and…
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May- 2020 -18 MayCoronavirus
Assay offices reopen following temporary closures
All four assay offices across the UK have now resumed assay services following their temporary closure in light of the ongoing pandemic. The British Hallmarking Council confirmed that opening hours and arrangements are now being “managed carefully in line with government advice to ensure the welfare of staff and the…
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7 MayCoronavirus
Birmingham Assay Office reopens gem lab amid Covid-19 pandemic
The Birmingham Assay Office has re-opened its gem lab and is now fully operational three days a week amid the Covid-19 crisis. Like many other businesses, the Birmingham Assay Office temporarily closed its doors on Tuesday 24 March for three weeks as stipulated by the government, but last month hallmarking…
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1 MayCoronavirus
Pandemic ‘adversely impacting’ designers, says GC and DC
The ongoing pandemic is “adversely” impacting designer-makers across the UK, according to a recent survey carried out by The Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council (GC and DC). In response to the survey, the council is now set to announce a series of new initiatives to “support, connect and inspire isolated…
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Apr- 2020 -27 AprilCoronavirus
Edinburgh Assay Office to resume services
The Edinburgh Assay Offices announced it will resume its hallmarking service after initially closing its doors on 24 March. The office will now re-open on 28 April following a “successful” week-long closed door trial with volunteer staff. Over the past two weeks, the assay office has also been working internally…
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20 AprilCoronavirus
Sheffield Assay Office re-opens
The Sheffield Assay Office has announced it will re-open in order to “provide safe support for valued customers”. From tomorrow (21 April), the office will offer a restricted service every Tuesday at its premises in Hillsbrough, Sheffield. Both its hallmarking and analytical services will now be available to customers once…
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17 AprilCoronavirus
Hallmarking falls by 35% as coronavirus impact hits
The extent to which the coronavirus outbreak has impacted UK hallmarking has been revealed as the latest figures show both the number of gold and silver pieces hallmarked during March fell by over 30% each. The number of gold and silver pieces hallmarked in March 2020 decreased by 32.3% and…
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Mar- 2020 -25 MarchCoronavirus
Assay offices close their doors
All four assay offices across the UK have closed their doors amid the coronavirus crisis. The assay offices, in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield, will now be closed for business for “at least” three weeks. In a statement, the British Hallmarking Council said: “The pandemic has caused many disruptions to…
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24 MarchCurrent Affairs
Birmingham Assay Office closes operations
The Birmingham Assay Office has announced that it will be “closing all operations” from today (24 March) for the three weeks stipulated by the government. The office said that the decision came in light of the Prime Minister’s lockdown announcement on Monday evening, and said that the move would “protect…
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19 MarchEconomy
Gold and silver down double digits in February hallmarking
The number of gold and silver pieces hallmarked in February 2020 decreased by 13.3% and 25.3% respectively, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. Gold hallmarked pieces decreased from 281,938 to 244,558 and silver items decreased from 344,104 to 257,212 during the month. Additionally, palladium decreased by 70.3%…
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