Our Story
250 ICONIC years
1773
The Act of May 1773 established Assay Offices in both Birmingham and Sheffield.
1784
Introduction of duty on both silver (6d per ounce) and gold (8 /- per ounce) and the duty mark represented by the King’s head in profile.
1824
Birmingham empowered to hallmark gold.
1854
Introduction of 15, 12 and 9 carat gold.
1855
The Gold Wedding Ring Act now required all wedding rings to be hallmarked.
1890
Duty was removed on gold and silver- the duty mark no longer stamped.
1932
15 and 12 carat gold discontinued and 14 carat introduced.
1934
The first commemorative voluntary mark commemorating George V and Queen Mary’s silver
jubilee.
1973
Birmingham and Sheffield Assay Offices commemorated their bi-centenary with special marks, Birmingham had a letter ‘c’ either side of the anchor and Sheffield used their 1773 date letter ‘E’ again.
1975
The introduction of the 1973 Hallmarking Act all Assay Offices date letters now standardised
and all change on January 1st. Platinum became a hallmarkable metal.
1975 – April
On April 1st the British Government ratified the International Convention on Hallmarking.
1998
Introduction of amendments to the 1973 Hallmarking Act. Including introduction of new
standards of gold, silver and platinum (to harmonise with Europe) also the abolition of import marks.
Date letter and standard mark become optional.
2009
Palladium becomes a hallmarkable metal (compulsory after 1st January 2010).
While we are immensely proud of our storied past, we are equally committed to embracing the future. Innovation is at the core of what we do. We’ve seamlessly integrated cutting-edge technology, making us more efficient and environmentally responsible while maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and precision.
