Example of typical marks found on Balinese silver jewellery.
Suarti Designer Collection jewellery is made in Bali, Indonesia, and may (but not always!) have a number of marks applied during the manufacturing process to indicate the maker, "Suarti", the country of origin, "Indonesia", and the claimed purity of the silver, usually "925 BA", or gold, e.g. "18K". However, these are not true hallmarks.
The word hallmark derives from the requirement, established in 1487, to send items of silver and gold to the Goldsmiths' Guild Hall in London to be independently tested and "hall marked" to confirm the grade of precious metal used was as claimed by the maker. However, the practice of marking precious metal content was actually introduced in England in 1300 and represents one of the oldest forms of consumer protection in the world. Unfortunately, it is now common practice to call any mark applied to jewellery, such as those described above, a "hallmark" thus creating a great deal of confusion for consumers and devaluing the importance of the actual hallmarking process that is your absolute guarantee that the item you are buying is as described.
Maker's marks and assay office hallmarks.
In the United Kingdom it is a legal requirement that any item of precious metal being sold as such, i.e. described as silver, gold or platinum, and weighing greater than certain specified minimum weights, be independently tested and marked to confirm their content. Indeed, it is actually an offence to describe an item as silver or gold if it is above the weight limit and has not been hallmarked as required. (Note, this does not apply to items being sold into the UK from abroad so be especially vigilant if buying directly from foreign countries.)
Our jewellery is tested and hallmarked where required, i.e. if the item contains more than 7.78 grammes of silver or 1 gramme of gold, at The Assay Office, Goldsmiths' Hall, Edinburgh.
Assay office hallmarks
(actual size = approx 1.0mm high overall)
On the right is an example of the actual hallmarks applied at the Assay Office. The three marks seen in the image are the minimum applied to any item and represent, from left to right,
- The Sponsor's Mark. This can be either the maker or importer of the item and is the personal mark of the person or business presenting the item for testing. Usually it comprises two or three letters within one of a number of differently shaped outlines. In this case you can see our mark of "BJ" in a circle. Each sponsor's mark is unique.
- The Fineness Mark. This is presented as a millesimal, i.e. the number of parts per thousand, and indicates the minimum, guaranteed proportion of pure precious metal in the item (the actual value may be much higher). For silver, there are four recognized grades, 800 grade, 925 or "sterling" silver, 958 "britannia" silver, and 999 or "fine" silver. The silver fineness mark is always oval in shape.
- The Assay Office Mark indicating the place of testing, in this case the "three castles" of the Edinburgh Assay office. The other offices are London (represented by a lion's head), Birmingham (an anchor) and Sheffield (a rose).
Additionally, you may also find a "Common Control Mark" comprising the millesimal number within a set of balance scales. This is a fineness mark common to all countries that are signatories of the International Convention on Hallmarking and generally used when trading across their borders. (Member countries recognize each other's systems and goods do not need retesting on import.)
Full details of the hallmarking system may be found at The British Hallmarking Council
