A foreigner's questions on Hall Marking

[Myosotis]

[QUOTE=Hans Meevis;71097]That's amazing.
I have never actually realized what this hallmarking business is.
I have researched a bit more and as I see it, it is basically a method to keep some jobsworth with salary while he ensures that your 9 kt gold is pure.( the irony is strong in this one)/QUOTE]

If you think the UK Hallmarking legislation is just to "keep some jobsworth with salary while he ensures that your 9kt is pure" then you really should have done more research. It is an independent guarantee that the precious metal content is exactly what it is stated to be.

I certainly wouldn't commit a large amount of money to buy some jewellery in one of those countries where any Tom Dick or Harry can hold of an 18ct stamp for example and go merrily stamping it over whatever they fancy - I know someone who got ripped off in that way and I'm sure she isn't the only one.

This is how seriously it is treated here.

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/e...fm/newsid/1500
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/e...cfm/newsid/871

In particular the final paragraph on the second link
"Hallmarking was originally introduced in 1300 by a Statute of Edward I and is one of the earliest forms of consumer protection. Compulsory Hallmarking protects all parties - the public who receive a guarantee of quality, the manufacturer who is given quality control and protection from dishonest competitors, and the retailer who avoids the near impossible task of checking standards on all his goods.

Precious metals used in jewellery and giftware manufacture are always used as an alloy. The precious metal must be mixed with other elements to give it necessary properties such as flexibility in order to produce a desirable and durable article.

Even the most experienced jeweller or chemist cannot tell how much precious metal there is in an alloy just by looking at it - or whether a thick plating of gold is covering a base metal interior. Due to the high price of precious metals, this offers a huge opportunity for fraud and there has therefore always been a need to protect the public and honest suppliers, from those who are tempted to cheat them.
Therefore all items being sold as gold, silver, platinum or palladium in the UK must be hallmarked to confirm that they meet the legal standard. This cannot be done by the manufacturer or importer - goods must be submitted to one of the four UK Assay Offices, or an Assay Office belonging to the International Convention.

The only items which are exempt are those which are under the legal weight threshold - 1 gram for gold, 0.5 grams for platinum and 7.78 grams for silver"

You may not agree with the legislation but the people at the London Assay Office in my experience (only speaking about them as I have no experience of the others) are very helpful and do all they can to help you through the process and they certainly aren't "jobsworths"