Quarterly Hallmarking Figures / October to December 2009
All Things White And Beautiful
Lack of consumer confidence, record high gold prices and reduced stock holding resulted in the total number of articles hallmarked in the UK dropping significantly for the sixth consecutive year. The numbers have declined by over 50%
from the peak of over 35 million in 2003 to 16,091,183 in 2009, a drop of nearly three million articles on 2008.
The hardest hit category was 9ct gold which fell by over 3 million articles, or 38%. compared to 2008.
Conversely, the ‘white’ metals performed relatively well during a difficult trading year. Silver was up 5% and overshadowed gold by 1.7 million articles. Platinum was down by 5.4% and Palladium got off to a positive start with 44,869 Palladium articles having been hallmarked since the introduction of a Palladium Hallmark on 22nd July, 2009.
Work dealt with by the Assay Offices of Great Britain, for the Quarter Oct-Dec 2009:
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