Buying silver from us

Hallmarking and our Dealer's Notice

We sell sterling silver jewellery, including charms, earrings and pendants. Under the Hallmarking Act 1973, anyone who sells gold, silver, platinum or palladium must display the British Hallmarking Council's notice explaining hallmarks. Ours is below.

British Hallmarking Council Dealer's Notice: Look for the Hallmark, It's Your Guarantee. In the UK it is illegal to supply or offer to supply any item as gold, silver, platinum or palladium unless it is hallmarked; exemption weights apply: 7.78g silver, 1g gold and palladium, 0.5g platinum. A hallmark shows who (the sponsor's registered mark), what (the precious metal content in parts per thousand, such as 925 for silver, 750 for gold and 950 for palladium and platinum, each in its own shape) and where (the London, Birmingham, Sheffield or Edinburgh Assay Office mark). International hallmarks must contain the scales of the Common Control Mark. Displayed in accordance with the Hallmarking Act 1973. — Displayed in accordance with the Hallmarking Act 1973. © British Hallmarking Council. Download the notice (PDF)

What a hallmark tells you

A UK hallmark is a set of small marks struck into the metal after an independent Assay Office has tested it. It shows who placed the piece on the market, the precious metal content in parts per thousand (925 for sterling silver, which means 92.5% pure silver) and which of the four Assay Offices tested it: London, Birmingham, Sheffield or Edinburgh.

When an item doesn't need a hallmark

Items below these weights are exempt from compulsory hallmarking. The weight is of the whole item, including any other metal in it.

Metal	Exempt if it weighs less than
Silver	7.78g
Gold	1g
Palladium	1g
Platinum	0.5g

Many of our silver pieces, such as charms and children's earrings, weigh well under 7.78g, so they don't need a hallmark. They're still described honestly: where a product page says sterling silver, it means 925 silver, and we give the weight where we have it.

Official information

Questions about a piece you've bought from us? Contact us and we'll help.