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We’ve teamed up with Klarna to provide flexible payment options, allowing you to shop the way you want. With Klarna, you can split your payment into 3 instalments or choose to pay later, making your shopping experience smoother and more convenient. Your order total must be between £100 and £499 to qualify.
We’ve teamed up with Klarna to provide flexible payment options, allowing you to shop the way you want. With Klarna, you can split your payment into 3 instalments or choose to pay later, making your shopping experience smoother and more convenient. Your order total must be between £100 and £499 to qualify.
November 01, 2023 | by Admin
It is law within the UK that every item of precious metal sold such as Platinum, Gold, Silver is stamped labelling the item with the type of metal it is. Platinum pieces which weigh less than 0.5 grams, 18ct Gold and Palladium pieces weighing less than 1.0 gram and Silver pieces weighing less than 7.78 grams are except from hallmark.
At Diamonds Factory all our products are hallmarked as per UK hallmarking law from London Assay Office (The GoldSmith Company)
The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office is the oldest assay office in the United Kingdom. It has provided hallmarking services since The Goldsmiths' Company was founded in the 1300s. The company received its royal charter in 1327 and ranks 5th in order of precedence of the 12 Great Livery Companies of the City of London.
Hallmarking dates back to the 1300s when Edward I of England passed a law requiring any item made of silver, which was offered for sale, to be at least of equal quality as that of the coin of the realm (silver currency). The wardens of The Goldsmiths' Company were tasked with visiting workshops in the City of London to assay (test) silver articles. If these articles were found to be below standard they were originally destroyed and the metal forfeited to the King. If they passed, each article received the King's mark of authentication - the mark of a leopard's head. By 1478, there were several hundred workshops and merchants manufacturing silver articles in the City of London. It was not possible for the wardens to visit them all so the merchants were ordered to bring their items to Goldsmiths' Hall for testing and marking and a permanent Assay Office was established in the building. This is the origin of the term hallmark - struck with the King's mark at Goldsmiths' Hall.
In 1544 the Goldsmith's Company adopted the King's mark as their town mark and the mark of the leopard's head is now internationally recognised as the mark of this assay office.
The Goldsmiths's Company Assay Office is still based at Goldsmiths's Hall and remains the oldest company in Britain to be continually trading from the same site. However, it also has two satellite offices; at Greville Street in Hatton Garden in the heart of the London jewellery quarter and within a high security complex near London's Heathrow airport. It now has a new off-site facility within the Dalston-based jewellery manufacturer, Allied Gold. This is the first time in the Assay Office's 700 year history that it has opened permanent hallmarking services on a customer's premises.
In addition to hallmarking, the office has now expanded its range of services to support the jewellery trade and enforcement authorities. It offers a variety of specialist analytical services including nickel, lead & cadmium testing, antique silver dating, non-destructive compositional analysis, plating thickness measurement and a melt and assay service for scrap precious metal carried out in their fully independent on-site laboratory. Other services offered are a jewellery valuation service, laser marking, trading standards assistance, high quality photography and a comprehensive range of training and educational seminars, lectures and specialist events.
The beautiful rich green hue of emerald is often associated with luck, hope, and May birthdays. Emeralds are loved by the rich, powerful and famous, and were once a prized possession of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. They are often used within jewellery and hold symbolic significance, but what does an emerald engagement ring mean? We reveal all in this article.
White Gold Emerald Trilogy Emerald Engagement Ring
From £1,872
4 Prong Setting Half Eternity Emerald Ring
From £581
Diamond Side Stone Emerald Shaped Emerald Engagement Ring
From £461
Full Bezel Setting Round Three Stone Emerald Ring
From £744
Oval Halo Emerald Engagement Ring
From £1,602
Round Halo Emerald Engagement Ring
From £625
Prong Setting Emerald Side Stone Ring
From £835
Prong Setting Oval Half Eternity Ring
From £524
Prong Setting Oval Emerald Side Stone Ring
From £649
What are emeralds?
Emeralds are a variety of the mineral beryl and get their beautiful green colour from trace amounts of chromium and vanadium. They have long been paired with diamonds and used to adorn jewellery, with emerald diamond rings held in high regard and often used as engagement rings.
The origin of emeralds
The love of emeralds originated in 1500 BC Egypt. The Egyptians believed emeralds held great healing powers and served as a symbol of immortality, fertility, rebirth and eternal youth. Queen Cleopatra of Egypt was passionate about emeralds and owned an extensive collection. Today, emeralds are mined all across the world, such as in Columbia, Zambia, Brazil, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. Experts believe the highest quality emeralds come from Columbia, where the country's natural emerald deposits are the richest.
Emerald engagement ring meaning
If you’re considering emeralds over diamonds to propose with, you may be asking “what does emerald symbolise?”
Emerald engagement rings have many meanings and represent luck, love, peace, and hope. Offering an emerald to the one you love shows intent for a happy and blessed marriage and the rich green hue of emerald represents new beginnings, whether that be in love or life. It is the deep symbolism and the beauty of the stone, which makes emerald engagement rings a good choice for a marriage proposal.
How to choose an emerald ring
Like any engagement ring, personal taste and preference is the most important thing to consider when buying an emerald engagement ring. After all, an engagement ring is for life. Emerald engagement rings are a good choice for those looking for a unique and colourful gemstone engagement ring.
Emerald colour
For any piece of gemstone jewellery, colour is the most important thing to consider. Emeralds with an intense, vivid colour are the most valuable and prized stones. Gemstone colour is measured based on hue, tone and saturation, with high-quality emeralds having an evenly distributed colour.
Emerald shape
The most popular emerald shapes for engagement rings tend to be emerald-cut. This beautiful, elongated appearance and step-cut faceting of emerald-cut emeralds make them so special – offering each stone a stunning depth and sparkle. Other popular shapes for emeralds are round emerald engagement rings and oval-cut emerald engagement rings. All of these shapes look great in a solitaire setting or as an emerald halo engagement ring.
Emerald engagement ring settings
The most popular emerald engagement ring settings tend to be halo (A centre stone surrounded by smaller diamonds) or side stone styles (A larger middle emerald with smaller diamonds set on either side). This is because they offer a unique, vintage-style appeal that pairs beautifully with these verdant-hued gemstones.
The best wedding rings to wear with emerald engagement rings
Emeralds pair really well with both warm and cool-hued metals depending on the effect you’re looking for. Warm colours such as yellow gold give your rings a really vintage feel so if your partner enjoys that more traditional style, opting for a gold wedding band will be ideal. If you’re into more modern styles, however, emeralds can also pair really well with cool colours such as platinum or silver. If you’re looking for a clean, minimalistic style, opt for a silver setting for the engagement ring and pair it with white gold or platinum wedding band.
The meaning of emerald engagement rings, along with their intense beauty, is what makes them so special. To find a beautiful engagement ring for yourself or the one you love, browse Diamonds Factory’s stunning range.