All my gold, platinum and palladium jewellery is hallmarked, and silver jewellery is hallmarked where required by UK regulations. Hallmarking provides an independent guarantee of the precious metal content of a piece of jewellery, giving you confidence in what you are buying or commissioning.
The Birmingham Assay Office
Alice Gow Designs uses the Birmingham Assay Office, based in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter.
The symbol for the Birmingham Assay Office is the Anchor. There is a fascinating history behind the choice of this symbol, involving rivalry, pubs and appeals to Parliament. If you would like to find out more, you can explore the history of the Birmingham Assay Office on its website.
What Does a Hallmark Tell You?
A traditional UK hallmark contains several marks that provide information about a piece of precious metal jewellery:
- Makers’ mark: a unique mark registered to the maker, identifying who submitted the jewellery for hallmarking. My jewellery carries my AG makers’ mark.
- Fineness mark: a number showing the precious metal content in parts per thousand, such as 925 for sterling silver, 375 for 9ct gold, 750 for 18ct gold and 950 for platinum or palladium.
- Assay Office mark: the symbol identifies which Assay Office tested and hallmarked the piece. The Birmingham Assay Office is represented by an Anchor.
- Date letter: an optional letter indicating the year in which the piece was hallmarked. The letter and its surrounding shield change each year.
Together, these marks provide a trusted record of the metal content and the Assay Office responsible for testing the piece. Hallmarking is part of the long tradition of quality assurance in British jewellery making.
Hallmarking Your Alice Gow Designs Jewellery
When you commission a piece from me, I will make sure that the appropriate hallmarking requirements are met for the precious metal used. If you have any questions about hallmarking or the marks on your jewellery, please get in touch and I will be happy to help.
