Hallmarking
Hallmarking is a cornerstone of the UK jewellery trade, ensuring the authenticity and quality of precious metal items through independent verification. For jewellers, manufacturers, and suppliers, staying up to date with hallmarking legislation, standards, and practices is essential to maintaining compliance and consumer trust. Jewellery Focus provides expert coverage on hallmarking, including updates from the UK’s assay offices, regulatory changes, innovations in testing, and insights into the role hallmarking plays in supporting the trade.
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Nov- 2014 -12 NovemberEconomy
HALLMARKING: Gold keeps climbing, silver lets the side down
Gold continued its upward trajectory in the month of October with a 22.1% rise in the number of articles hallmarked, totalling 115,815 overall. The figures, released by the Birmingham Assay Office using data collated from the four UK assay offices, showed that 9ct remained the strongest performer of all metal…
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Oct- 2014 -14 OctoberEconomy
Figures analysis: January to September hallmarking jumps 19%
Overall hallmarking figures have shown an increase of almost 19% in the first nine months of 2014, compared with the same period the previous year. So far the biggest year-on-year increases on a by-month basis were January and May, which increased 31% and 27% respectively compared with their corresponding time…
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13 OctoberTrade Organisations
September hallmarking figures up 18%, 9ct gold continues to shine
Rising hallmarking figures showed no sign of abating in September, as the latest results compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office showed an overall rise of 18.2% across all precious metals, compared with September last year.The standout performer was, as has become the norm this year, gold, with 9ct rising 100,644 items to…
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Sep- 2014 -9 SeptemberEditor's Blog
Don’t argue with the data…just wait for your slice
It is beginning to feel more like a job as a leader-writer for the Financial Times than a jewellery trade magazine, but there is just so much positive news out there it cannot go without comment. Yesterday the Birmingham Assay Office release the all-office hallmarking figures, showing a year-on-year rise yet again,…
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8 SeptemberManufacturers
Upward hallmarking trajectory continues in August
The positive trend for UK hallmarking figures continued in August, according to the latest figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. The total number of articles marked rose by 12.5% compared with August last year. Particularly strong performers were 9ct gold (which rose 10.2%) and silver (which rose 18.2%), which…
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Aug- 2014 -13 AugustEconomy
July hallmarking rises 9.4%, gold carries poor performers
July 2014 showed a continued growth trajectory in gold hallmarking figures, with 9ct gold rising 28.1%, and 14ct and 18ct gold increasing 30% and 22.3%, compared with July 2013. But the figures, collated from the UK’s four major assay offices by the Birmingham Assay Office, showed a mixed picture for…
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Jul- 2014 -31 JulyEvents
Goldsmiths’ Fair announces new events
The Goldsmiths’ Fair has announced it will be back with a “fresh new look, a raft of exhibitors and a star-studded events programme”. Organisers have revealed details of more than 30 special events, including paid-for breakfast talks and free ‘In Conversation’ drop-in sessions. The programme comes in addition to Zaha…
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29 JulyEditor's Blog
The luxury goods market is buoyant – it’s time to stop blaming the economy
When luxury goods giant LVMH announces that handbags and belts at £1000+ a piece are doing better than watches and jewellery, you have to ask what is going on. The West, in its entirety, has become obsessed with the notion that economic weakness is to blame for poor sales in…
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17 JulyEconomy
14ct gold surges 60% in June hallmarking figures
Rising hallmarking figures showed no signs of slowing in June with the four UK assay offices reporting a 60.1% rise in the number of 14ct articles hallmarked, and a 17.1% rise for gold overall, compared with June 2013. But whilst the total number of articles hallmarked across all categories rose…
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11 JulyOpinion
COMMENT: Rising hallmarking figures are great news but the party may be short-lived
By Scott Thompson, founder and CEO of Carat* There is growing evidence that many parts of the UK are coming out of the great recession. I am pleased that many of my colleagues and friends in the jewellery industry are sounding more upbeat. However there is a risk that the…
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