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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.
November 27, 2020 | 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.
Rings have been used throughout history to symbolise the different stages in a relationship. From getting engaged to getting married, relationship rings have been the classic gift used to define these milestones. In this article, we discuss different types of relationship rings, stages and meanings behind each one.
Promise Rings
Promise rings are given before engagement rings in relationships where the couple are not quite ready to get engaged. Promise rings are worn in a relationship as a promise to stay faithful to each other. They are a beautiful gesture, used to show love and commitment, with no real pressure to get married. There are no set rules as to what a promise ring should look like, although they tend to be more delicate and less expensive than an engagement ring.
Engagement Rings
Engagement rings are given during a marriage proposal when one or both people in a relationship decide they would like to spend the rest of their lives together. Engagement rings are presented in a proposal of marriage, which can sometimes be an extravagant event.
A traditional engagement ring is a diamond on a metal band, such as a solitaire diamond ring; however, there are many popular styles to choose from. They can vary massively in price depending on the materials used and the size and quality of the stone.
Getting engaged is a huge milestone for any couple. An engagement ring is worn and given to show commitment, love and an intention to get married soon.
Wedding Rings
Wedding rings are exchanged during a wedding ceremony. They are the ultimate symbol of love and commitment within a relationship and represent a significant milestone in a couple's life. After getting married and exchanging rings, couples usually intend to spend the rest of their lives together.
Wedding rings are meant to be worn by both people in a relationship on the ring finger of the left hand and are typically much simpler in design than engagement rings. Traditionally, wedding rings are plain bands without diamonds or gemstones, although, these days they come in a variety of shapes and can include diamonds.
Eternity Rings
Eternity rings, otherwise known as infinity rings, are traditionally given after marriage. They are usually given on the birth of the first child or for an important anniversary. Usually, they are worn on the ring finger of the left or right hand, although it is down to personal preference.
Eternity rings are usually crafted from precious metal and adorned with diamonds. There are two styles which are half and full. Full eternity rings are where the diamonds adorn the entire band whereas half eternity rings are where diamonds adorn only half of the band.
There are several beautiful ways to mark milestones in a relationship and make them truly special, and relationship rings are just one of them. Each one has a special meaning and represents a period within a couple's relationship, so it can be remembered for many years to come.
Head to our other article to learn about the meaning of each finger for wearing rings.