Precious Metals

The history of hallmarking dates back to 1300 when a Statute of Edward I instituted the assaying (testing) and marking of precious metals. The original aim of the system remains unchanged; the protection of the public against fraud and of the trader against unfair competition. British hallmarking was the world's first form of consumer protection.

Hallmarking is as necessary today as it was in 1300. When jewellery and silverware are manufactured, precious metals are not used in their pure form as they are too soft. Gold, silver and platinum are always combined with copper or other metals to create an alloy that is more suitable to the requirements of the jeweller. Such an alloy needs to be strong and workable yet still attractive.

The word "hallmarking" comes from "marking goods at the (Goldsmiths) Hall". Hallmarking involves testing articles made of precious metal and marking them to indicate that they are of a minimum standard of purity.

Hallmarks historically covered gold and silver, with platinum being added in 1976.

Above a minimum exemption weight it is a serious offence to describe or sell a piece of jewellery in the UK as gold, silver or platinum unless it is hallmarked. The weights are: platinum 0.5g, gold 1.0g, silver 7.78g.

Summary Table

The following table shows all the current UK standards at a glance:

Metal	New Standard	Previous
Gold	375	9 carat
Gold	585	14 carat
Gold	750	18 carat
Gold	916	22 carat
Gold	990
Gold	999
Silver	800
Silver	925	Sterling
Silver	958	Britannia
Silver	999
Platinum	850
Platinum	900
Platinum	950	950
Platinum	999

In the United Kingdom there are four Assay offices which are legally empowered to test precious metal objects and to apply a hallmark to them. These offices are in London, Sheffield, Birmingham, and Edinburgh.

The following table shows marks used for gold, silver and platinum.  The first mark represents the maker's (or sponsor’s) mark, whilst the leopard head represents the London Assay Office.  Additional non-compulsory marks, such as a date letter, can also be applied.

The quantity of gold in a given alloy is expressed in carats (ct). Pure gold is 24ct but is too soft to be used for jewellery.  22ct gold has just over 8% other metals and even with this small addition it becomes hard enough for practical use. 18ct gold (75% pure) is a wonderful metal to work, looks beautiful and wears well.

9ct gold has a much higher percentage of other metals, primarily copper and silver, with the proportions dictating the colour of the metal: yellow, white or pink (see table below).

18ct and 22ct gold are almost completely resistant to chemical attack, whereas the silver and copper in 9ct gold makes it more susceptible to tarnishing from exposure to chemicals in the atmosphere or even in some people’s skin, as well as household chemicals etc.

Whilst 9ct gold is harder than 18ct gold this also makes it more brittle, so a thin 9ct gold ring shank is more likely to break than a similar shank in 18ct gold.  Worn side by side, the 9ct will wear away more quickly than the 18ct gold (although this is a very long term affect).

New 9ct gold is often plated with a higher carat coating to enhance it’s colour.  Likewise, white gold (both 9ct and 18ct) is often Rhodium plated to give it the white finish that some customers prefer.  All plating will wear off in time, which can be disappointing, especially when white gold starts to look yellow.  For this reason we prefer not to plate any of our jewellery unless specifically requested.  We are increasingly using palladium as an alternative to white gold, as it is naturally white so the colour remains true (see palladium tab).

The table below shows commonly used gold alloys and the colour of gold they produce (source: World Gold Council).

Type	Gold % wt	Silver %	Copper %	Colour
22 ct	91.6	8.4	-	Yellow
	91.6	5.5	2.8	Yellow
	91.6	3.2	5.1	Deep yellow
	91.6	-	8.4	Pink/rose
18 ct	75.0	25.0	-	Green-yellow
	75.0	16.0	9.0	Pale yellow, 2N
	75.0	12.5	12.5	Yellow, 3N
	75.0	9.0	16.0	Pink, 4N
	75.0	4.5	20.5	Red, 5N
14 ct	58.5	41.5	-	Pale green
	58.5	30.0	11.5	Yellow
	58.5	9.0	32.5	Red
9 ct	37.5	62.5	-	White
	37.5	55.0	7.5	Pale yellow
	37.5	42.5	20.0	Yellow
	37.5	31.25	31.25	Rich yellow
	37.5	20.0	42.5	Pink
	37.5	7.5	55.0	Red

There has recently been an increase in awareness of the risks involved in mining gold. A US based campaign "No Dirty Gold" puts pressure on mining companies to produce gold more responsibly, which we wholeheartedly support. Unfortunately there is no way to actually distinguish between different "batches" of gold, so companies that have signed up to the campaign buy gold in exactly the same way as companies that haven't signed up, i.e. via bullion companies, the parents of which are likely to be based in Switzerland, USA, etc. and will be sourcing gold from various mines. So the campaign is effectively a petition.

We do take our responsibilities very seriously and do everything possible to ensure the ethical sourcing of gold, diamonds and other gems. So we are fully signed up to the Kimberley Process which has achieved tremendous success in ending the trafficking of conflict diamonds.

We source the vast majority of our gold from melting down "scrap" that we have bought in. So this is recycling old gold which has been mined previously – any time over the last 200 years. This is then refined and assayed to ensure its purity before it is reused in new jewellery. This is the only way we can be sure that gold we use has not come via unethical mines using cyanide and other irresponsible practices, in the world today (obviously how it was mined 100 years ago, we have no idea - but at least it's recycling and not adding to the damage today).

Sterling Silver consists of 92.5% pure silver alloyed with 7.5% copper. From 1300 British hallmarks have been used to prove that a silver item was up to standard.

Silver is much more plentiful than gold and consequently less expensive. It also has a tendency to tarnish with some people reacting particularly to the alloy, causing it to turn dull or even black within a matter of days.

Our shop in Rutland sells beautiful silver jewellery from European designers, however few of our commissions are made in silver as the time involved in hand-making jewellery tends to outweigh the value of the metal.

Under UK law, all silver jewellery over 7.78g must be hallmarked if it is to be described or sold in Britain as silver.

Found primarily in South Africa, Russia and Canada, platinum is rarer and more precious than gold. It is a naturally grey-white metal, very hard and dense. Its rarity, weight and relative difficulty to work with make it significantly more expensive than gold. 

As well as its reputation as the most precious of the metals, its resistance to wear and tarnish also make it well-suited for making fine jewellery.

In 1976 it was added to the list of metals that require hallmarking to be legally sold in the UK.

Much of the jewellery we make is in platinum. It is particularly well suited to diamond engagement rings as the white colour of the metal remains true for life and compliments the whiteness of the stones. It is also hard and durable to last well beyond a lifetime.

A member of the platinum group of metals, palladium has been used in jewellery since the 1930s. It is hypo-allergenic, naturally white and tarnish free – in fact it is slightly whiter than platinum as well as being about 12% harder and much lighter.  The fact that it is so much lighter, along with the lack of awareness of the metal, makes it significantly cheaper than platinum.

So why has it not enjoyed the huge surge in popularity that has pushed the price of platinum so high?

In the period before World War II palladium became increasingly popular, with Tiffany & Company using it for many of their wedding bands in the early 1940s. However, during the war it was declared a strategic government resource and almost entirely removed from the jewellery industry. More recently, platinum benefited from tremendous marketing investment both in the USA and Europe, with palladium being left behind in people’s awareness. This is now changing, with both China and the USA increasingly using it in jewellery and the world’s biggest producers embarking on a joint marketing effort to bring it to the forefront once more.

We are very excited to offer palladium as another precious metal option. The Assay Office is working with the British Government on plans to introduce palladium hallmarking within the next few years. Priced at a similar level to 18ct gold, this is a great alternative if you are looking for a white metal – we also think it has very good investment value!