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Souvenirs
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HallmarkingThe HallmarksIn the UK a Hallmark must consist of at least three compulsory marks giving the following information:
Other optional marks including Traditional and Commemorative marks may also be used. All items purchased from this site have the following marks:
Commemorative MarkThis new mark to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II will be available and applied throughout 2002 only. What is Hallmarking ?In England, offices for the assay and hallmarking of gold and silver date back to the year 1300 when a Statute of Edward I instituted the hallmarking System. The purpose of the system is the protection of the public against fraud and of the trader against unfair competition. It was one of the earliest forms of consumer protection. In most cases precious metals may not be sold as such in the UK unless they bear hallmarks, although there are some exempt items. In their purest form gold silver are too soft to make into usable items and have to be alloyed with other metals to increase their durability. Unfortunately it is impossible to tell by looking at an item how much base metal has been used in the hardening process. Recognising this, and to prevent unscrupulous traders adding more of the cheaper metals the statute of 1300 laid down the standards for gold and silver, and introduced a system of independent testing and hallmarking. This system of testing protects both traders and the public and must be carried out before the articles are put on sale. The Processes of HallmarkingWhen an article is submitted to an assay office for hallmarking it undergoes three main processes: 1. Sampling - tiny sample of the metal is removed for testing 2. Assaying - the sample is analysed to ascertain the amount of precious metal present 3. Marking - every item from the batch is hall marked either with a small punch or by laser to confirm it has the requisite amount of precious metal content. |
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