Can items be sent off for hallmarking before being made up?

[Claire D]

My tutor told me that it's possible to send pieces of silver off for hallmarking before they've been made into the finished piece - is this true? I've got a packet ready and want to maximise the amount that's in it as it takes me a while to get enough pieces together to make it worthwhile. So I thought if I could send things off such as - lengths of wire cut ready for bangles but not soldered together, cut out pieces of sheet which haven't been finished enough to be made into necklaces (but have the bail soldered on so the hallmark won't be in the way), basically bits and pieces I've got sitting around half finished! Am I allowed to do that if I mark on the piece where I want the hallmark to go? Also I've got an amethyst set ring I made for myself and wondered if I could send that too or would the gemstone cause any problems?

Thank you lovely helpful people!

[mizgeorge]

Yes and no - I regularly send bangle and ring blanks off this way as they're not going to have anything metal added to them and it means I can keep lengths in stock to make up to any size needed.

You can also send the set ring, but be careful to protect the stone in transit.

As for the pendants, provided there's no further fabrication being done and all you're doing is removing rather than adding metal, I would send those too, but if you plan to add other pieces, make sure you include those in the packet.

[SteveLAO]

Hi Claire. Your tutor is nearly right! You can send in items in what is known as "component form", in other words you have made all the bits for an item, but you just haven't joined them up together. Of course we need to see all the pieces and an indication of how they all fit together. What you can't do is to send in a piece of metal, get it hallmarked, and then make something out of it. The hallmark is there to indicate that the entire item has been tested and that all parts of it have passed the test, which is why the hallmark is usually applied pretty much at the end of manufacturing. If you send in a lump of metal, we don't know what it will end up as, or if you might add metal to it after its been tested and marked. So in summary, don't send us in "half finished" pieces, but its fine to send us in the completed article in its component pieces. Of course we only need to see the metal, so if its going to be stone set, you can send it in unmounted.
Yes you can indicate where you want the hallmark to be applied, and if it's possible and practical to do so then we will do it. If for any reason we can't, we'll call you and discuss.
your amethyst ring will be fine for hallmarking - you don't need to unset it.

[Claire D]

Ok, thanks. So, to make it more clear, I have: bangle lengths of wire which I have cut to size and all they will need doing is joining and polishing, a silver hare which I have cut out, textured and added the bail to, this will just have a chain added (although I seem to remember there is a rule about whether the chain is going to be removable? And I haven't decided yet what length chain so should I just put the whole piece in?) And I have cufflink fittings and the top pieces which haven't been joined together yet. Will these all be ok, and if so, do I need to specify on the hallnote that some items are in 'component form'? And do they need to be bagged up seperately?

Thank you

[camalidesign]

Steve,

So, if I was to send in a small bag with the components for e.g. a pendant (actual pendant piece + bail) then you will test them as one piece and I will only need to pay one fee even though there are 2 items in the bag?

Carin

[SteveLAO]

Cairn - if you're sending in component pieces which, when all put together, make one piece, then you are charged for the one piece as though it were assembled, yes.

Claire D - Bangle lengths of wire are fine, so is the hare, and the cufflink pieces. When sending in components keep them all together in one bag and the bag will then count as one unit...for example, if you have a bracelet which is in three sections, put all three sections into one bag and it will count as one bracelet. For your cufflinks, keep the fitting and the plate together so we can see what it will be when its finished.
Rule of thumb regarding pendants and chains is this: if the pendant is free running and will slide off the chain without doing anything to the chain, then it counts as two items. If the pendant won't come off the chain unless you, for example, take the clasp off the chain, then it counts as one item.

[Claire D]

That's really helpful, thanks

[Aurarius]

Hi Claire. Your tutor is nearly right! You can send in items in what is known as "component form", in other words you have made all the bits for an item, but you just haven't joined them up together. Of course we need to see all the pieces and an indication of how they all fit together. What you can't do is to send in a piece of metal, get it hallmarked, and then make something out of it. The hallmark is there to indicate that the entire item has been tested and that all parts of it have passed the test, which is why the hallmark is usually applied pretty much at the end of manufacturing. If you send in a lump of metal, we don't know what it will end up as, or if you might add metal to it after its been tested and marked. So in summary, don't send us in "half finished" pieces, but its fine to send us in the completed article in its component pieces. Of course we only need to see the metal, so if its going to be stone set, you can send it in unmounted.
Yes you can indicate where you want the hallmark to be applied, and if it's possible and practical to do so then we will do it. If for any reason we can't, we'll call you and discuss.
your amethyst ring will be fine for hallmarking - you don't need to unset it.

I still find this guidance a little difficult to follow, Steve. If I'm planning to make a cabochon pendant, say, out of 5 pieces of sterling, how can I send you in the component pieces in a finished state when the base plate can only be filed down to the correct size once it is soldered to the bezel wall? If I send these two parts in to you already soldered together won't it be rather difficult for you to avoid deforming the bezel wall when you hallmark the back of the pendant?
I also find it a little puzzling how you can accept a "completed article in its component pieces". Taking the example of the 5 part pendant again, presumably you would only hallmark the base plate. How can you ensure that the maker, on receiving the package back, doesn't ultimately use components other than those included with the package to add to the hallmarked base plate? Or, if I send a ring to you consisting of a separate shank and setting, and you hallmark the shank, how can you ensure that the setting included in the package ultimately does end up on the shank you've hallmarked?

[camalidesign]

Thanks Steve!