Which assay office

[SteveLAO]

yeah I know!!!! take no notice of that.....it's a glitch in the system and tells new registrants it takes five weeks!! Actually it takes not more that 2 weeks.
In the old days we had to outsource the punchmaking which is why it took so long. These days it's all done in house so it's much quicker. Once registered the software for laser marking is set up really quickly so you can laser mark until the punch is ready.
PM me your details and I'll ensure your software is all done so there's no delay for you.

[Oberon]

Oh you star thank you! It was a bit of a heart in my mouth moment... Will pm you now. Sarah


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[SteveLAO]

My pleasure

don't panic Mr Mainwaring!!!!!

[medusa]

If you are registered with assay office "A" and want to transfer to assay office "B", you can transfer your "A" sponsor mark to "B" only IF your mark has not already been registered at "B". The sponsor mark is unique only when it forms part of the hallmark which includes the assay office mark, and as all 4 offices are totally independent of each other you may find when transferring that "your" sponsor's mark is already registered with someone else at a different office.
So to cut a long waffly answer short yes you can transfer it so long as it's not already registered with the office to wish to transfer to.

If you were to run your finger nail over a 3D deep mark, you will feel the mark, which you can't really do very well with a standard laser mark. Standard 3D is about 0.1mm deep. The "deep" mark is as deep as you want it to be, only limited by the thickness of the item being marked!!
Remember that the date letter is now optional, and most people who do repro or second hand items choose not to have the date letter on it. There would then be no reason to take the mark off.....which if course is illegal anyway!!

thanks for the clarification Steve. I might transfer to London when it comes to renew.

Whilst erasing a mark might be illegal (why would that be, out of curiosity? unless I'm about to answer my own question) my repros sell for £70-£80 each. if the hallmark is removed then it could be sold as 'antique' for at least double that. So it is worth while for unscrupulous sellers to do this. I've actually lost sales on Etsy when it was discovered that my stuff is fully hallmarked with the date letter.

[pearlescence]

There you go - answer one question and get another issue answered in turn - I asked for London to keep my punches but you sent them back so I assumed that you didn't keep them any more! I'll ask again next time I send stuff in!

[SteveLAO]

oops!! well next time you send your stuff in with the punches make a note on the hallnote requesting us to retain them....

[LydiaNiz]

I am so pleased to have seen about 3D deep marks too - the number of marks I have nearly obliterated!
Steve, another simpleton query for you. I'm sending a big (for me) packet up to LAO soon, and it will have more than ten items - all sterling. Can I be pretty vague on the form (as there is only room for 10 I believe) as in 10 assorted rings being one item, as long as their collective weight listed? Mix of finished pieces (all different) and ring blanks...

[SteveLAO]

Group them into types if they are all the same metal and fineness, so you could put "ring blanks" in the description, how many ring blanks you have in the "no of articles" column, and you could put the average weight in the "weight" column. you can be reasonably vague as long as you have quantity...that's really important...and a reasonable description so we can identify the items.

[LydiaNiz]

thank you - if I do go over - and presumabl need a seperate form, will they still be charged as one packet?

[SteveLAO]

You will be contravening the hallmarking act if you remove a hallmark (actual words from the act: "Remove, alter, transpose or deface any hallmark struck on an article, except in accordance with the written consent of an assay office") without authorisation. Fines of up to £5K and up to 10 years in prison!!!

So here are your choices: have the item hallmarked but don't have the date letter (as the date letter is a voluntary mark now) OR have the item underweight so it doesn't need a hallmark OR don't describe it as silver.

You cannot really sell a "repro" as an "antique" anyway can you? It would be a trade's description contravention surely?? I can understand that you have lost sales if the buyer was looking for a genuine antique and found he was looking at a repro....

thanks for the clarification Steve. I might transfer to London when it comes to renew.

Whilst erasing a mark might be illegal (why would that be, out of curiosity? unless I'm about to answer my own question) my repros sell for £70-£80 each. if the hallmark is removed then it could be sold as 'antique' for at least double that. So it is worth while for unscrupulous sellers to do this. I've actually lost sales on Etsy when it was discovered that my stuff is fully hallmarked with the date letter.