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.
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With a new year comes exciting new engagement ring trends and unique styles set to steal the show, and one thing we’re sure of is that 2024 is certainly set to be packed full of some serious sparklers. When choosing an engagement ring it’s a known fact that there’s a lot to consider and contemplate, and looking at upcoming trends ahead of time can be the perfect place to start. From vintage beauties that’ll make them stare to lab grown diamond dazzlers that they’ll love forever more, check out what’s set to top the engagement ring trend list in 2024.
White Gold Round Diamond Engagement Ring
From £502
Prong Set Round Side Stone Diamond Engagement Ring
From £881
Prong Setting Trilogy Diamond Engagement Ring
From £1,156
Prong Setting Halo Diamond Engagement Ring
From £1,315
White Gold Round Side Stone Diamond Engagement Ring
From £826
Prong Setting Plain Engagement Ring
From £544
Prong Setting Round Diamond Hidden Halo Rings
From £829
4 Prong Setting Side Stone Engagement Ring
From £715
Prong Setting Side Stone Halo Engagement Ring
From £942
Prong Set Round Side Stone Diamond Engagement Ring
From £790
Prong Setting Oval and Pear Trilogy Diamond Engagement Ring
From £979
Yellow Gold Trilogy Diamond Engagement Ring
From £1,368
White Gold Round Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring
From £583
Rose Gold Round Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring
From £606
Yellow Gold Radiant Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring
From £942
Rose Gold Round Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring
From £772
White Gold Round Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring
From £988
Yellow Gold Princess Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring
From £907
White Gold Heart Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring
From £1,152
White Gold Radiant Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring
From £2,138
Multi Stone Engagement Rings
It’s no secret that we often look to celebrities when thinking about trends, and it’s safe to say if there’s one thing that came out of the last few years and is certainly going into 2024 too, it’s multi-stone engagement rings. Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly’s ‘Toi et Moi’ ring went viral after MGK (Also known as Colson Baker) got down on one knee in January 2022. Collaborating with iconic British jeweller Stephen Webster to create Megan’s dream ring, the ring features both a pear-shaped Emerald and a pear-shaped Diamond combined to create a truly romantic ‘you and me’ ring.
Another celeb multi stone ring we all fell in love with was Ariana Grande’s showstopper from Dalton Gomez. Featuring a large oval diamond next to a delicate pearl, the beauty of a multi-stone engagement ring is all about combining two elements together that they’ll love and cherish forever.
Oval Engagement Rings
Whilst we’re on the topic of ovals, can you guess what’s trending for 2024? You guessed it! Oval engagement rings are taking the world by storm, and they’re only set to get more and more popular, and who can blame them? Offering the most incredible brilliance, thanks to their multiple facet’s oval-shaped rings give the illusion that they’re bigger than they are. Making them a perfect choice if you’re on a budget or really want your ring to sparkle and shine. Seen on the likes of Hailey Bieber, Zoe Kravitz and Kourtney Kardashian, the oval-obsessed continues with oval engagement rings still hitting the top spot for most-searched rings online.
Vintage Engagement Rings
Long gone are the days where the only style of engagement ring on offer was something simple and classic, and luckily 2024 is all about showcasing your style and personality through your jewellery. When searching for the perfect engagement ring, if you know your partner wants theirs to reflect who they really are, a vintage ring is always going to come out on top.
What classifies as a vintage engagement ring we hear you ask? Although traditionally a vintage engagement ring is a style that was made 50-100 years ago, it’s very easy to achieve that vintage-look, especially here at Diamonds Factory! It’s a style that’s undoubtedly deemed as luxurious, and often adorned with additional diamonds or gemstones of your choice. A vintage-look engagement ring offers character and individuality like-no-other, and with more choices on offer than ever more, vintage designs are set to fly off the shelves in 2024.
Lab Grown Diamond Engagement Rings
A real rising trend for the last decade. Lab grown diamonds are only gaining more and more popularity as the years go forward. With reasons including their incredible sustainability and cost effectiveness, it’s not hard to see why lab grown diamonds are becoming a go-to choice and trending for 2024. According to Statista, the market volume for lab grown diamonds is expected to amount to around 19.2 million carats in 2030, doubling the reported 7.45 million carats sold in 2021 worldwide. If you’re looking to propose in 2024, opting for a lab grown diamond might be the perfect way to get more for your money and get that high carat showstopper they’ve always wanted.