WHAT IS HALLMARKING?

The concept of hallmarking itself dates back to nearly 400AD and was discovered on silver objects in Byzantium. Hallmarking, especially with regards to silver, diamonds, gold and platinum, wasn’t initiated until the 1300s in the UK. King Edward I put a statute in place that required the testing of all silver items to ensure they met the proper standards of purity. Once this percentage had been verified, then the item would be marked with a stamp depicting the head of a leopard.

In 1327 King Edward III granted a royal charter to the Goldsmith’s Company which was run out of Goldsmith’s Hall in London. This location is where the term ‘Hallmark’ originates, but was not officially recorded until 1721

The hallmarks required for gold, silver, palladium and platinum denote several pieces of information, including the piece’s creator, the Assay Office and the composition of the metal. My hallmark is made at the Birmingham Assay Office whose mark is an anchor. My own mark is SW in a oblong with V notch. No-one else will ever be allowed this mark.