Birmingham Assay Office
The Birmingham Assay Office is a cornerstone of the UK jewellery trade, providing hallmarking, testing, and certification services that ensure the quality and integrity of precious metal goods. For jewellers, manufacturers, and suppliers, staying informed about its developments is essential to maintaining compliance and understanding industry standards. Jewellery Focus offers in-depth coverage on the Birmingham Assay Office, including regulatory updates, innovations in testing and hallmarking, and its role in supporting the jewellery sector’s operational and ethical standards.
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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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Apr- 2020 -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 -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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Feb- 2020 -17 FebruaryEconomy
Gold and platinum up single digits in January hallmarking
The number of gold and platinum pieces hallmarked in January 2020 increased by 1.4% and 7.6% respectively, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. Gold hallmarked pieces increased from 281,752 to 285,647 and platinum items increased from 24,900 to 26794 during the month. However, this was offset slightly…
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Jan- 2020 -17 JanuaryEconomy
Gold and silver fall in December hallmarking
The number of gold and silver pieces hallmarked in December 2019 decreased by 7.1% and 12.7% respectively, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. Gold hallmarked pieces decreased from 312,281 to 290,186 and silver items decreased from 373,756 to 326,442 during the month. Additionally, palladium decreased by 37.7%…
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Nov- 2019 -12 NovemberMetal Prices
Platinum hallmarking increases 22.2% in October
Platinum hallmarking increased by 22.2% in October 2019 compared with the same period the previous year, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The number of platinum pieces hallmarked increased from 28,652 in October 2018 to 35,026 in 2019. Despite overall volumes decreasing by 5.6% during the month,…
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Oct- 2019 -15 OctoberMetal Prices
Silver and platinum up in September hallmarking
Both the number of silver and platinum pieces hallmarked in September 2019 increased by 4.5% and 14.4% respectively, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. Silver hallmarked pieces increased from 361,441 to 377,587 and platinum items increased from 23,055 to 26,383 during the month. However, this was offset…
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