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
Our limited-edition Initial Pendant Necklaces have officially launched here at Diamonds Factory and we’re so excited to share them with you. With the recent rise of personalised jewellery and the most wonderful time of the year right around the corner, we wanted to bring you our very own take on alphabet jewellery with our brand-new initial necklaces - complete with extra added sparkle of course.
A Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
B Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
C Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
D Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
E Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
F Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
G Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
H Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
I Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
J Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
K Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
L Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
M Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
N Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
O Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
P Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
Q Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
R Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
S Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
T Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
U Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
V Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
W Initial Pendant Necklace in Silver
From £132
X Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace
From £246
The New Kids on The Block
A timeless piece of jewellery that’s sure to never go out of style, personalised jewellery is a trend that’s certainly not going anywhere anytime soon. An initial pendant necklace is a staple jewellery piece that can be worn solo or layered amongst all your other necklaces too. Not only are they the perfect present for yourself as you can effortlessly choose the first letter of your name or a loved one, but they also make for an amazing gift too. Simple but effortlessly effective, we guarantee everyone from your friends to your family will love unboxing their very own alphabet letter necklace on their birthday, Christmas or just because.
Sparkle Factory: 1000
With two different styles available, our beautiful Initial Pendant Necklaces both feature our finest diamonds in two totally different and unique designs. If you prefer your jewellery more minimal, our Silver Initial Pendant Necklace is set to be the perfect pick. Featuring a singular 0.02ct diamond in a gorgeous serif typeface on a classic silver metal base, if you’re looking for a necklace that’s effortlessly chic and easy-to-wear, our affordable silver initial pendant necklace is the style for you. If you prefer your jewellery a little more statement and stand out, then our Diamond Initial Pendant Necklace is the perfect pick. With a choice of 9ct yellow gold, white gold or rose gold, this sparkling diamond showstopper packs approximately 0.06 carats too and is set to catch the eye of anyone it meets.
Our Favourite Ways to Style Our Initial Pendant Necklaces
The beauty of an initial pendant necklace is all about how you style it and whilst we’ve shared our new collection, we also wanted to help you discover a few ways to wear in which we love when it comes to styling a classic alphabet necklace. From keeping it minimal to layering and playing around with different everyday necklaces too, the possibilities really are endless with our incredible initial pendant necklaces.