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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.
January 15, 2021 | 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.
Whether you’re planning the ultimate proposal or dropping hints to your partner, where better to look for ring inspiration than the current trends? From timeless classics to celebrity favourites, we looked into the styles that are predicted to be big engagement ring trends in 2023. From classic and understated designs to grand gestures of love and adoration, here are some of the top trending engagement ring designs to help your proposal go off without a hitch.
White Gold Halo Diamond Engagement Ring
From £1,200
4 Prong Setting Plain Five Stone Ring
From £1,288
Channel Setting Half Eternity Diamond Ring
From £352
Pave Setting Half Eternity Diamond Ring
From £281
4 Prong Setting Plain Seven Stone Ring
From £2,212
White Gold Round Diamond Engagement Ring
From £502
Bar Setting Half Eternity Diamond Ring
From £467
White Gold Round Side Stone Diamond Engagement Ring
From £826
White Gold Oval Halo Diamond Engagement Ring
From £971
Prong Setting Halo Diamond Engagement Ring
From £1,315
4 Prong Setting Plain Two Stone Ring
From £626
4 Prong Setting Full Eternity Diamond Ring
From £401
4 Prong Setting Plain Three Stone Ring
From £882
Emerald Halo Emerald Engagement Ring
From £1,098
Diamond Side Stone Blue Sapphire Emerald Engagement Ring
From £503
Diamond Side Stone Ruby Emerald Engagement Ring
From £490
Micro Prong Setting Round Diamond Cluster Ring
From £175
Prong Setting Oval Blue Sapphire Half Eternity Ring
From £542
Prong Setting Oval Ruby Half Eternity Ring
From £502
What engagement rings are on trend?
Just like fashion, jewellery and engagement rings see lots of trend changes from year to year. Staying on top of the trends is a good way to ensure your engagement ring feels modern and contemporary but make sure you keep your personal style in mind so that it stays up-to-date as you wear it for the years to come.
Hidden halo engagement rings
Made popular by celebrities like Blake Lively and Kourtney Kardashian, the hidden halo ring is a beautifully contemporary take on a vintage classic.
Usually, a halo ring features a large centre stone, surrounded by a circle of smaller ones in a sunburst of sparkle, however, a hidden halo ring is a little less flashy – but no less precious. Instead of the halo being featured on the top of the ring, it circles the diamond at the sides instead, creating a more subtle, sparkly glow and sophisticated finish from every angle.
Multi-stone engagement rings
From the custom-made designs of celebrities like Megan Fox and Ariana Grande to more classic three-stone or cluster designs, multi-stone rings have been in vogue for a number of years, and for good reason. These stunning styles of rings offer you more stones and, of course, much more sparkle – and who doesn’t want extra sparkle to show off?
Multi-stone rings make the perfect engagement ring, especially if you’re planning on wearing a simple wedding band and can feature any number of gemstones depending on your tastes. Opt for a trilogy stone ring that features three similarly-sized stones or go all out with a full eternity ring that circles your finger in an unbroken ring of diamonds to symbolise your everlasting love for each other. Whatever design you choose, the answer will be “yes!”
Solitaire Engagement Rings
There’s a reason that solitaire engagement rings have continuously stayed on trend since their creation in the 1880s. These classic, minimalistic rings feature just a single, stunning diamond that is designed to maximise sparkle. If your love prefers to stay out of the spotlight, but you still want to make them feel like a million dollars, a solitaire ring is an ideal choice.
Solitaire rings featuring a round brilliant cut diamond are the most popular styles but other stone shapes such as a pear or marquis diamond also make a unique and beautiful alternative. The best part about solitaire rings? They stay stylish and timeless so won’t feel outdated in a few years.
Emerald engagement rings
Coloured gemstones have seen a boom in popularity in recent years. Just as modern brides are venturing outside of white colour palettes for their wedding dresses, brides-to-be are also showing an increasing interest in coloured stones. In a time when everyone is looking for a ring that represents their uniqueness and individuality, there’s no wonder why stones such as emeralds have become more popular for engagement rings.
This ancient green gemstone has been used in jewellery for centuries and was particularly favoured by Cleopatra. It is believed to bring good health, honesty, and peace to the wearer, and is also the birthstone for May. It’s worth noting that emeralds aren’t quite as hard as diamonds (coming in at a 7-8 on the hardness scale where diamonds are a 10) so may not be as durable, but if you are looking for a unique engagement ring that is on-trend while also being timeless, a beautiful emerald diamond ring is a great choice.
Oval engagement rings
Are you looking for a unique alternative to round brilliant diamonds? You may prefer oval gemstones instead. Loved by many celebrities like Blake Lively and the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, oval stones have become really popular in recent years due to their delicate shape and ability to make fingers look longer and more slender.
Oval diamonds have a similar fire and brilliance to round diamonds and are beautifully unique with their elongated round shape. From vintage styles to pared-back modern designs, there is an oval engagement ring to suit your taste.
Eternity engagement rings
Eternity rings aren’t traditionally given as engagement rings, however they’re set to be a big trend in upcoming years. Eternity or half-eternity rings feature many smaller diamonds around the entire (or half of) the ring band and represent your undying love and devotion for your partner.
Eternity rings can be as minimalistic or fancy as you like with the most popular diamond shapes being round brilliant and baguette and a range of different setting styles such as bezel, prong, and channel setting giving you the option to customise your eternity ring to your exact preference.
How to buy the perfect engagement ring
Buying an engagement ring can be a bit daunting. Whether you’re part of one third of women choosing their own engagement rings or you’re trying to surprise your partner, there’s a lot of time and consideration that goes into choosing the ring and the proposal itself.
For inspiration and information on how to buy an engagement ring, make sure you check out our indepth Engagement Ring Guide. We go over all of the different details that go into choosing a diamond, how to find the right size, how to work out your budget, and much more.
Once you’ve chosen the perfect ring, the proposal is the next step to consider. Find some inspiration for the cutest proposal ideas, guaranteed to ensure they say “yes!”