Help needed with 925 stamping

[Mrs Jo Bangles]

Hi. I am new to Fine Silver and Sterling Silver making and somewhat confused about the 925/999 stamping of articles.
I know that items over 7.75G need to be officially hallmarked at and Assay Office with the official hallmarks and my sponsors mark, but I am confused as to articles under that weight.
Can I personally stamp these articles with 925 or 999,( I know that these stamps are available to purchase) will that be sufficient and will they be legal to sell. Many Thanks Mrs Jo Bangles

[SteveLAO]

Silver items under the 7.78g limit do not require hallmarking and you can describe and sell them as silver without breaking hallmarking regulations. Whether or not you're braking the "Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008" (the old Trades’ Descriptions Act) is of course another matter, but you won't be breaking hallmarking regs assuming the items are, in fact, silver. The only caveat is that if challenged you must be able to prove that they are. Putting a "925" stamp on them will not constitute proof as its not an official hallmark! As a friend of mine in the trade loves to say "You can buy a 925 stamp and stamp your head with it, it doesn't mean your head is made of silver!" So in short, you can stamp them if you like, but it won't really mean a thing!

[Mrs Jo Bangles]

Thank you Steve. It does seem to be quite a grey area. Even Trading Standards are not 100% sure!
OK. Another question for you. If I put two small fine silver hearts together as a single pendant which then weighs more than the 7.78G limit, would they need to be hallmarked even though individually neither of them are liable for hallmarking? I have some rather nasty competition and I need to get this right. Thanks Jo

[SteveLAO]

Many people think it a bit "grey" as you are slipping between the hallmarking act and the old trades descriptions...but the hallmarking act is quite clear....individual articles over the weight...not pairs of articles totalling the weight!

When you say.."together".. do you mean permanently joined together or two free running pendants on one chain?

[Mrs Jo Bangles]

Two free running pendants on one soldered/split jump ring.

[SteveLAO]

sorry I'm being a bit dim!...Is this right...two pendants joined together via one jump ring and this then free running and removable from a chain?

[Mrs Jo Bangles]

Yes. The pendants can be removed from the chain.

[SteveLAO]

ok then what you have made is one pendant and one chain. Although the pendant may be constructed of more than one bit, it's joined with only one jump ring to hang off a chain so it's clearly a single item...one pendant.

You generally don't look at the individual weights of the components...you look at the weight of the finished piece. An analogy would be a linked watch bracelet, where each link weighs under the limit, but the bracelet itself weighs over the limit. The item is the bracelet, so it will need marking.

[SteveLAO]

hope it makes sense?

[Mrs Jo Bangles]

Thanks Steve.....So it would need hallmarking as it would be classed as a single pendant.
I assume the same would apply for cufflinks? or is this another matter completely as there are two parts to a pair of cufflinks?

[SteveLAO]

cufflinks are two individual items. Treat as two items not as one pair. It's not their combined weight, but their individual weight as each cufflink will get a hallmark. The same goes for earrings.

[Mrs Jo Bangles]

Thanks Steve. You are wonderful and have helped me a lot today. Eagerly awaiting my packages back from your London Assay Office now. Thank you :-)

[SteveLAO]

my pleasure :)

[Melanie]

Hi Steve

Just to clarify - assuming the two charms in the example above were each on their own jump ring, both running freely on the chain and easily removable, would they therefore count as three separate pieces and therefore not need to be hallmarked, even if being sold as a single necklace? I have always thought this to be the case but have read so much conflicting opinion am now confused, just want to make sure we are hallmarking everything we should be!

Thanks

Melanie

[SteveLAO]

If the charms are free running, each on their own jump ring, and can easily be removed from the chain by simply sliding them off, then what you have are three separate items - the chain, and two charms. Each will then be treated separately.