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)
Where Hallmarking Began
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.
Today
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.
Know More
It is without a doubt that the Oscars 2020 red carpet looks were some of the best yet. Polished, refined and utterly glamorous, every look stole the show. This year the stars had one thing in common - statement jewellery. Even the men got in on the action with diamond and gemstone encrusted broaches. Diamonds were the favoured gemstone of the event, with elegant drop earrings, statement rings and ornate necklaces gracing the red carpet.
While we all know that diamonds and coloured gemstones are naturally expensive, each piece at the Oscars commanded extravagant prices due to their designer names. If you would love to get the look without the designer price tag, read on to discover how to get the Oscars 2020 diamond jewellery for less.
The Statement Diamond Necklace
Possibly one of the most expensive pieces of jewellery worn at the Oscars this year, Charlize Theron was seen wearing a remarkable marquise diamond necklace (thought to be worth $5million). We love the Y-shape of this design and we have a similar version that costs a lot less, but still packs the same amount of sparkle.
The Stacked Up Diamond Rings
Cynthia Erivo was wearing some serious ring bling at the Oscars this year. The best thing is, this look is easy to recreate, just stack your rings up (the chunkier the better) and prepare to dazzle.
The Diamond Tennis Necklace
Model Camila Morrone accessorised her dress for the Oscars with a beautiful diamond tennis necklace. We love the simplicity of this design and this look can easily be recreated for less as we have plenty of diamond tennis necklaces to suit every budget.
The Diamond Drop Earrings
Double nominee, Scarlett Johansson, was the talk of the night seen wearing diamond drop earrings thought to be around 26.65 carats! We love how these fine jewellery earrings have been mixed with semi-precious pieces - resulting in a cool and contemporary look. Copy her style for a fraction of the price, with our beautiful round diamond drop earrings.
The Diamond Lariat Necklace
A diamond lariat necklace is a classic jewellery piece that never goes out of style. We think actress Kaitlyn Dever knew this when she wore a Harry Winston style to the Oscars this year. We won’t lie, a diamond lariat necklace is a luxurious piece of jewellery that will always be super expensive, but you can be certain that our version will cost significantly less than Kaitlyn’s.
The Oscars are always a glitzy event where the biggest stars grace the red carpet wearing the biggest gems and most elegant jewels. There have been some iconic moments such as Elizabeth Taylor wearing the Taylor-Burton diamond necklace and Lady Gaga wearing THAT Tiffany’s yellow diamond necklace - yes you know the one!
3 Prong Setting Tennis Necklace
From £10,111
Round Stud Dangle Diamond Designer Earrings
From £2,150