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
You’re getting married, you’ve already purchased the engagement rings and now it’s time to have some fun picking out your wedding rings. But if you feel like doing something a little bit different, you’ll want something special and unique to just the both of you.
Having your wedding rings engraved could be the perfect solution. But here’s the tricky part, you have no idea what you want your engraving to be, how you’d go about doing so, or the best metal to choose. This is why here at Diamonds Factory, we have put together a guide featuring ten great romantic wedding ring engraving ideas, along with some helpful facts and tips to help you make your decision.
Now that we know what to look out for, let’s take a look at ten wedding ring engraving ideas you and your partner could adopt for your rings.
Top wedding ring engraving ideas
Why not include a version of your vows or a short expression of your love on the band? It could something very simple such as, “I love you” or single words such as “Forever” or “Eternity”. You could even have the word “Soulmates” engraved to express how perfect you are for one another.
If you can fit something in that is a little longer, then think about sentences from your vows such as “To have and to hold”. You should go for a phrase or word that you feel sums up your love the best.
If you would prefer something that is romantic and unique but like the idea of using an older phrase, consider an engraving in a different language. The most popular options are, French, Italian and Latin as they are some of the most romantic languages spoken from around the world. Go for something as simple as “My love” in a foreign language or;
In French - “ Pour tous jours” (For all days)
In Latin - “Semper amemus” (Let us always love)
In Italian - “Il mio cuore è tuo per sempre” (My heart is yours forever)As mentioned previously, the tradition of “poesy” rings began many, many years ago and so having an Old English phrase engraved on your ring could be a good idea. This is something that would have been found on a ring in the Middle Ages and is a great way of carrying on the old wedding traditions from Europe . Consider choosing a historical phrase that has a personal meaning just for you. Something like, “Let nothing part but death” or “This and I until I die”.
Now, we’ve all heard the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ and that really can be the case on your wedding ring. If you want to be more visual than verbal then get a symbol engraved on your ring.
The cost and size will, of course, play a huge role in this sort of engraving but you can opt for something simple like a heart or even choose an icon that represents a hobby that you both share and feel strongly about.
For someone who loves the outdoors, for example, consider engraving a tree outline into your ring, or if you and your other half share a strong bond over an animal, how about a small engraving of one? It’s a more unusual take on the idea but symbols are the perfect way of representing your love for one another.
This is one of the most romantic engraving ideas out there. This concept engraves your fingerprint on the wedding band , so you can keep each other close by every single day. This is so special because everyone has a different fingerprint meaning that it really is unique to one another and an amazing way to share your specific bond. Get matching wedding rings with the other person’s fingerprint.
You will need to use ink and paper to get a copy of your fingerprint - your ring finger on your left hand is a good choice - and then take this to an engraving service. Bear in mind that the whole fingerprint won’t be able to be featured on the band, but a small part of it - and to you, it could make it even more special.
Another popular and personal trend for ring engravings is having your names on each other's rings - but in your own handwriting! Technology has made it a lot easier for jewellers to create custom designs, so engraving your personal handwriting onto a ring is easier than ever before.
Of course, this idea may depend on your partner’s writing because a messy signature or name can just end up looking like scratches, so be sure to practice writing out names before getting this done. If this works for you, signatures can make for beautiful inscriptions.