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MICHAEL ALLCHIN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE & ASSAY MASTER EXPLAINS THE BENEFITS OF THE UPCOMING AMENDMENTS TO THE HALLMARKING ACT.
Imminent changes to the Hallmarking legislation will create new opportunities for the Jewellery industry and offer consumers more accurate descriptions of the items they are purchasing.
Historically the Assay Offices have been unable to hallmark items made of mixed precious and base metals and the regulations for mixed precious metals have been very restricting. It is over seven years since the Joint Assay Offices of Great Britain approached the British Hallmarking Council to ask the Government for a change to the legislation. That change is now imminent as a forthcoming amendment to the Hallmarking Act 1973.
Consumers and the jewellery industry will benefit from the changes which will allow the silver section of a mixed metal item such as a Titanium and Silver ring to be hallmarked which means it can then be described as such.
Until now, retailers have been obliged to use inaccurate descriptions such as “white metal” because the item was not hallmarked. In future, the classic Rolex watch will be able to be sold as 18ct Gold and Stainless Steel and hallmarked accordingly.
The current “ratio” rule which applies to mixed precious metal items will also be abandoned. Historically a piece which was a mixture of say 9ct Gold and Silver would have had to be hallmarked silver, as the lower quality metal.
But if the weight ratio of the piece meant there was more gold than silver then the piece could not be hallmarked at all. Not a helpful situation for either the jeweller or the customer. Under the new regulations such a piece can have both a gold and silver hallmark. Retailers will have the opportunity to identify any mixed metal items currently in stock which would benefit from a proper description and submit them to their Assay Office for hallmarking.
Pre 1950’s Pieces
In addition to this amendment there will also be changes to the regulations concerning unhallmarked items from pre 1950. At the time of manufacture some such items would not have needed to be hallmarked and current legislation therefore prevents them from being sold as Silver, Gold or Platinum as they do not have a hallmark
to prove it. The new amendment will allow this, so long as the seller can prove they were in market before 1950. Again this will be of benefit to the consumer, offering more accurate descriptions, and a huge help to the second hand and antique jewellery trade.
The Birmingham Assay Office has campaigned for these changes for a long time and believes they will be of significant benefit to both the jeweller and the consumer as items can now be described far more accurately, adding value to the product in many cases.
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