Hallmarks

Hallamarking and Hallmarks date back over 700 years and is an expected part of the jewellery trade. Hallmarks are a set of marks applied to articles made out of the precious metals gold, silver, platinum and palladium. These marks mean that the piece has been independently tested and conforms to the legal standards of fineness (purity of the metal). It also tells you about where the piece was hallmarked (London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh are the four Assay Offices), what it's made from and who made it (Sponsor's Mark). 

Sponsor's Marks are submitted and approved by The Goldsmiths Company for use in hallmarking, meaning that there are no two the same. For Sophie Flanagan Fine Jewellery, the S and F are in a diamond shield. You must have a minimum of two letters and a maximum of five.

There are additional marks that can be used, including a date letter mark (for 2024, it's a lower case z). The shield that it's in changes every year too, meaning only one letter/shield combination can denote a specific year. As well as the numbers denoting metal fineness, you can also use the traditional fineness marks, for example the crown means gold and the lion is sterling silver.

A commemorative hallmark may also be used, such as the coronation mark for King Charles III, but it is not complusorary. 

To find out more about Hallmarking and the Assay Offices, visite The Goldsmiths' Company website.