Menu
1

What Is & What is Not a Hallmark?

1

Before you make your next jewellery purchase, make sure you know what to look out for! Understanding what is and what isn’t a hallmark and how to recognise these marks is essential when shopping for jewellery online.

When shopping online, keep two key tips in mind to buy with confidence:

  1. Before you buy, ask if it’s hallmarked.

  2. When you receive your order, confirm it’s hallmarked!

A hallmark is a series of marks applied to an item of precious metal that tells you 3 essential details about the piece: Who, What and Where?

  • Who made the piece or placed it on the market for sale;
  • What the metal type and fineness of the piece is;
  • Where the item was tested and which Assay Office applied the hallmarks.

This example shows a minimum hallmark on 925 (Sterling Silver).

2
3

Hallmarks on precious metal jewellery over a certain weight are required by law:

  • Gold: 1 gram
  • Silver: 7.78 grams
  • Platinum: 0.5 grams
  • Palladium: 1 gram

For items under these weights, a hallmark is not required.

This information can help you understand what to look for before you buy.

You might see a plain 925, S925 or SV925 mark on jewellery. This is known as a Manufacturer’s Mark. This might be applied by a manufacturer when the jewellery is produced. It is not a hallmark.

4
5

Ag925 is another variation of a Manufacturer’s Mark. This mark is allowed if an item is under the minimum weight for hallmarking (7.78g for silver). If it’s over this exemption weight, by law, there should be a hallmark on the piece. 

A 14k, 18ct or 14ct stamp is another kind of Manufacturer’s Mark. These types of stamps can only be used on a piece weighing less than 1 gram. But, if a piece of gold jewellery is over 1 gram, it must be hallmarked by an Assay Office.

6
7

On gold, a plain 375, 585 or 750 is another type of Manufacturer’s Mark. If the gold piece is over a gram, it must have the minimum hallmark that tells you the Who, What & Where of the piece.

This hallmark render shows what the minimum hallmark looks like on a piece of 585 (14ct) gold. 

It tells you:

  • Who made the piece or placed it on the market for sale;
  • What the metal type and fineness of the piece is; 
  • Where the item was tested and which Assay Office applied the hallmarks. 
8
9

Some manufacturers might apply stamps like these to indicate metal fineness. These might give a piece the appearance of a hallmark, but without the required Sponsor’s Mark and Assay Office Mark, it is not a hallmark.

In the UK, it’s an offence under the Hallmarking Act for anyone in the course of business or trade to describe an un-hallmarked item as being either wholly or partly made of precious metal (unless exemption weights apply). 

These requirements apply to eligible items sold on platforms like eBay, Amazon, Etsy and more.

The Assay Offices regularly encounter items that carry these Manufacturer Fineness Marks and no hallmarks. They often exceed the minimum weight and should carry a hallmark.

We have seen an increase in items carrying these marks which are not made of precious metal.

Some of these items have contained dangerous materials that are harmful to you, the wearer.

Without a hallmark, there is no way to know what you’re buying.

Related Posts