Continuing my series on hallmarking on vintage and antique jewellery by taking a look at current British hallmarks. These are relevant to vintage jewellery as the basic system has been around since 1973 although it was updated in 1999.

Here are the important things to know about hallmarking on British jewellery since 1973:

• - You can only describe an article dating from 1973 onwards as gold, silver or platinum of it is fully hallmarked unless it weighs below Silver 7.8 grams, Gold 1 gram and Platinum 0.5 gram)
• - A set of British hallmarks is : The sponsors mark, the metal standard mark,the assay office mark, the date letter
• -The orb mark is used for platinum and the crown for gold ( along with the fineness), the lion remains for silver

This has since been amended:……….

 April 2007 also sees another amendment to hallmarking legislation in respect of items originally brought on to the market pre 1950. 

Before 1975, many precious metal articles (e.g. rings, whatever their weight, other than wedding rings) were exempted from hallmarking. Platinum was not hallmarked at all. Any article covered by these exemptions, if (a) of minimum fineness* (b) proved to have been manufactured before 1975, may still be described and sold as precious metal.

 

However, even articles which should have been hallmarked when they were made, but bear no hallmark, are now treated as exempt if they were manufactured before a specific date. Since 1999, the date has been 1920, but the amended legislation alters this date to 1950. Therefore, any pre-1950 item may now be described and sold as precious metal, if the seller can prove that it is of minimum fineness and was manufactured before 1950.

- Hallmarks are now: Makers mark, fineness and assay office mark ( not no date letter is required but it is optional)

Convention Marks:

Convention marks became legally acceptable instead of hallmarks in 1976. Convention marks are struck by any country which is part of the convention . These countries are: UK, Austria,Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Latvia and Lithuania.

A convention mark consists of a pair of scales with the metal fineness number ( the common control mark) the fineness number and the assay office mark. The assay office marks can be any from the countries mentioned above.