A hallmark is a series of marks applied to an item of precious metal by an independent, government-appointed Assay Office. There are currently four Assay Offices in the United Kingdom: Edinburgh, London, Sheffield and Birmingham. Hallmarks can only be applied to an item after it has been tested through a process known as ‘assaying’, where the precious metal content is verified. A hallmark protects consumers when purchasing items made of precious metal. Consumers have a legal right to the independent guarantee that a hallmark provides, and sellers are legally required to ensure relevant products are properly hallmarked.
I am a registered member of Edinburgh Assay Office. Only items stamped by the assay office have this guarantee, other stamps such as "925" alone are not a guarantee that it is actually 92.5% silver. Silver items weighing less than 7.78g are not legally required to be hallmarked, most of my items are below this weight so do not have the hallmark from the assay office as it keeps costs down. The few items over this weight are hallmarked and I will send an item to the assay office if requested by a client to do so.
