The British Hallmarking System is one of the oldest and most trusted consumer protection systems in the World. It has existed since 1300 AD. Today, The HALLMARKING ACT 1973 ( amended 1998) is Law in the UK

Hallmarking involves the testing ( assay ) of precious metal jewellery or objects and then marking them to indicate that they are of a minimum standard of quality.

A Hallmark means that an item has been individually tested by an Assay Office and guarantees that it conforms to a specified legal standard of purity

Today, Hallmarking takes place in the UK in OFFICIAL ASSAY OFFICES in London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh. The Hallmark is a stamp or punch mark which is applied to the item of precious jewellery after test by assay.

No article or part of an article is allowed to be marked unless it is first assayed and found to be of the standard of quality required by Law.

The British Hallmark is accepted Internationally as a guarantee of quality.

A complete Hallmark consists of Three Compulsary Punch Marks.

The Sponsors or Maker's Mark
This consists of the initials of the person or the firm that either made the item or commissioned it to be made. Its main purpose is to identify the person responsible for making or importing the item

The Metal and Fineness ( purity ) Mark
This guarantees that the quality of the item is not below the Legal Standard indicated by the mark. The precious metal content of the article is expressed as a millesimal number. For example, the number .375 means that the metal is 37.5 percent pure gold( equivalent to 9 carat gold )

The Assay Office Mark
This is generally based on the arms of the City. The London Mark is a Leopard's Head, Birmingham is an Anchor, Sheffield is a Rose, Edinburgh is a Castle.

Date Letter
There is now an additional optional punch mark used in many cases. A letter of the alphabet denotes the year in which an item is assayed and stamped. This letter is changed annually, as is the style and surrounding shield type

Unless specifically exempt, ALL Gold, Silver and Platinum articles offered for sale MUST be Hallmarked

There is a legal Requirement for any GOLD DEALER to display prominently the Official British Hallmarks in a form that is clearly accessible to members of the public. Shropshire Gold Buyers will always ensure that their Hallmarking Act document is readily accessible to you