What can you learn from a hallmark in a piece of jewellery.
You may know that there are markings in your jewellery, but do you know what they mean or why they’re there?
Each hallmark is broken down into different sections that represent different things…you can learn what they mean here…
(You may need a magnifying glass or a jewellers loupe to see them!)
So why do we have hallmarks?
It is UK law, since 1973, to hallmark the four precious metals which are gold, silver, platinum and palladium (which has only had a hallmark since 2009)
It can give you a guaranteed that you are purchasing the precious metal you paid for and it will show you the purity of the the metal as well (i.e. the gold content by percent)
It can prevent fraud as it is tested at one of the four UK government assay offices to prove the metal which is then stamped accordingly, for example a silver item that is gold plated will be stamped silver and by reading the hallmark you will see that it is silver even though it looks like gold.
We have been hallmarking in the UK since the first assay office opened back in 1327 and this is one of the earliest forms of consumer protection. There are a few exceptions to items that may not have a hallmark and that is if the item is under a certain weight (1 gram of gold, 7.78 grams of silver 0.5 grams of platinum).
So what do each of the symbols mean?
The picture above is what you would see on a traditional hallmark and we will explain what each of the symbols mean so you learn the story of your item.
The first mark LAO is an example of a markers mark/ sponsors mark.
Here is the example of what you would see on a Petra piece as our makers mark is PETRA and this is unique to us and can’t be used by anyone else but us.
The next two marks are linked and this is a lion, which represents silver, and 925 is the fineness, or purity, mark that tells you what metal the item is.
You will see a number inside a shape. The shape indicates the metal. Silver is an oval shape with the number, palladium was a trapezium until it changed to three circles joined together, gold is oblong with the corners cut off and platinum is a five sided house end.
The number will indicated the purity of the metal. So, for example, sterling silver is what we use for our silver jewellery which is stamped with a 925. This means there is 92.5% silver in your item, the rest is made up of other metals alloyed with it.
The forth symbol is the assay office where the item is tested for the metal and stamped.
There are four assay offices in the UK. when you have a Petra piece made, the assay symbol will indicate either London or Birmingham so have a look and see if you can see an anchor or a leopard!
So we now know the maker, what the metal is and where it was hallmarked…so the last symbol is the date mark.
This tells us when the item was hallmarked and this can give you an indication of when it was made (for example, it could have been made and then hallmarked a year later)
To read the date mark, you will need to cross reference with the assay office database, which you can find online.
Every year has a different letter and you will find the surround and the font changes shape every time they have completed the alphabet, which is every 25 letters (for hallmarking they alway miss one letter which is normally an I as it is too like an L).
Below are the date letters ranging from 2000 - 2024
So lets see what the item below can tell us.
This item was made at Petra, it is 18ct gold, assay office was London and hallmarked in 2022, but there is one more marking and this is an extra special one…
This marking was for the Queen’s jubilee that was only available for items in 2022.
The Assay Office do release certain commemorative hallmarks for certain occasions. A special mark will be released from the 1st March 2023 until 31st December 2024 to mark the Coronation of King Charles III.
You can see both marks below
I hope you have found it intresting learning about hallmarks and if you would like any more information please get in contact with us!
If you would like to a piece of jewellery made with the commemorative mark please let us know we can design you the perfect piece and have this mark inside.
