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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May- 2020 -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 -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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4 MarchTips
Your Guide to Jewellery Hallmarks – What to Know
A piece of jewellery is one of the most priced possessions a person can have—they are precious and can be pretty expensive, with some even costing as much as a brand new car. It is only ideal that when you choose jewellery, whether for yourself or as a gift, you…
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Feb- 2020 -19 FebruaryTips
3 Key Factors to Consider When Choosing Diamond Jewellery
There’s nothing more precious than investing in a piece of diamond jewellery. Wearing one during a special occasion gives you utter class, elegance, and sophistication. You can also add it up to your precious metal collection as a good investment. Most diamonds come with a certificate or appraisal of authenticity.…
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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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