Much of the mass produced jewellery sold in the UK is made in India and China. By law it must be UK hallmarked. Easier to mark as a stage in production, we all know that. Therefore makes sense to move assay site to place of production if the volume justifies. LAO marked all the Olympic gold and silver medals on site at the Royal Mint in Wales. This would be no different an operation presumably. In any case the sky would not fall in if there were no hallmarking system and we could all save a little time and a little money. The legal insistence is probably illegal under EU competition law anyway as it forces EU makers to have their items assayed before they can sell in the UK - It is a qualitative restriction