We understand that the world of gold selling and buying can be a bit of a minefield so we’ve created this simple guide to help you understand a bit more about Hallmarking and the value of your items.
What is a Hallmark?
Believe it or not, hallmarking has a long history dating back to the 14th Century, but the current hallmarking rules were set in the UK Hallmarking Act 1973.
A hallmark is an official mark or collection of marks created for consumer protection and to guarantee the purity or fineness of the tested items made of precious metals.
In the UK, an item must include 3 compulsory marks:
- Sponsor’s or maker’s mark: there marks are unique to every jeweller, maker, retailer or wholesaler and consist of a minimum of 2 letters surrounded in a shield.
- Metal & fineness/purity mark: This mark will indicate the type of precious metals (gold, silver, platinum and palladium depicted with different shaped frames) and the purity recorded in pars per thousand. What does this mean in terms of 9ct gold? 9ct gold is marked as 375 meaning that in 1000 parts there would be a minimum of 375 parts gold.
- Assay office mark: There are 4 authorised locations in the UK (Assay Office) to carry out Hallmarking: London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh.
The only exception to these rules is depending on the weight of the precious metal items: gold under 1 gram, silver under 7.78 grams, platinum under 0.5 gram and palladium under 1 gram can be sold without a Hallmark.
Indian Hallmarking Legislation
As of 2021, the Government of India mandates that hallmarked gold jewellery be sold in 256 districts, each having at least one Assaying and Hallmark Centre. These centres are responsible for hallmarking each piece to ensure the purity and quality of the gold jewellery, with the process overseen by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Always check for the hallmark when purchasing gold ornaments or items to prevent potential cheating and fraud by the jeweller.
What Is the Indian BIS Hallmark?
The BIS hallmark features three symbols to confirm the purity and quality of the gold jewellery.
1) The first symbol is the BIS logo, see in the image below:
2) The second symbol represents purity of the gold
- 999 = 24 carat gold
- 916 = 22 carat gold
- 750 = 18 carat gold
3) The third is a unique Hallmark ID which identifies the jewellery maker or Hallmarking centre.
Only when all three of these symbols are visible can you be certain that your gold jewellery meets the stated purity.
Where do you find the Hallmarks?
Hallmarks are normally found on the inside of ring shanks and wedding bands, earring posts, chain ends, clasps, tags and jump rings. As well as the traditional, stamped method, also look out for the modern, laser engraved variants of Hallmarks.
How do you know the carat value of gold?
The most commonly used markings on gold are the following:
- 999 = 24 carat
- 916 = 22 carat
- 750 = 18 carat
- 583 = 14 carat
- 375 = 9 carat
Hallmarks on gold
If you are still unsure of the carat value or the item isn’t hallmarked, not to worry! We test and validate all items once they arrive and give you your final valuation, the price you receive will be the same for hallmarked and un-hallmarked items!