Jewelry hallmarks? English hallmarks on jewelry

THE ANATOMY OF A HALLMARK: UNDERSTANDING THE SYMBOLS OF PRECIOUS METAL AUTHENTICATION
A hallmark is a stamp or mark applied to precious metal items to authenticate their purity, origin, and other important details. Since 1300, the British government has been responsible for ensuring that precious metal items are correctly marked before they can be sold. Today, hallmarking is carried out by four assay offices in the UK: Birmingham, Edinburgh, London, and Sheffield. Here's what you need to know about the anatomy of a hallmark.
COMPULSORY MARKS Until 1998, a hallmark consisted of four compulsory marks: the sponsor's mark, the standard mark, the assay office mark, and the date letter. Since 1998, the date letter has become optional, but the other three symbols remain compulsory. These symbols provide the following information:
THE SPONSOR'S MARK This is a unique mark of the company or person responsible for sending the article for hallmarking. The sponsor may be the manufacturer, importer, wholesaler, retailer, or an individual. To obtain a sponsor's mark, you must register with an assay office.
THE STANDARD MARK This shows the fineness of the metal in relation to the standard recognized in the UK. For example, 750 parts per 1000 by weight is equivalent to the old 18-carat gold standard. The alloy must be at least 750 parts per 1000 to be marked as such. There is no negative tolerance.
THE ASSAY OFFICE MARK This symbol shows which assay office tested and marked the item. The anchor is the symbol of Assay Office Birmingham.
OPTIONAL MARKS DATE LETTERS The date letter shows the year in which the article was hallmarked.
TRADITIONAL MARKS These are traditional standard marks that can still be used today.
COMMEMORATIVE MARKS Special hallmarks that celebrate major events.
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION MARKS Since 1972, the UK has been a signatory to the international convention on hallmarks. This means that UK assay offices can apply the common control mark, which will then be recognized by all member countries in the convention. Conversely, convention hallmarks that have been applied in other member countries are recognized in the UK. Some of the assay office marks of member countries of the convention are illustrated below. The shield design around the assay office mark may vary according to whether the article is gold, silver, or platinum. The key mark to look for is the common control mark. The three other marks must also be present.
OTHER MARKS DUTY MARKS The Sovereign's Head indicated that duty had been paid on an item. It was struck from 2nd December 1784 to 30th April 1890. During this period, a variable tax was levied on all silver and gold assayed in Great Britain. In Dublin, the Sovereign's Head Duty Mark was used from 1807, and in Glasgow, from 1819. It should be noted that the head did not always change with the monarch!
DRAW BACK MARK The duty on items that were exported was refunded. The figure of Britannia was used from December 1784 to July 1785 to indicate repayment.
​The UK has a long history of regulating the sale of gold and silver to protect consumers from fraudulent practices. From 1842, it was illegal to sell imported gold or silver in the UK unless it was assayed, or tested, at a British office. This regulation ensured that only genuine precious metals were sold and marked with the appropriate hallmarks.
In 1867, the Foreign Mark was added to indicate that the item was imported and had been assayed at a British office. This mark was particularly important as it helped consumers identify the origin of the item they were purchasing.
From 1904, the carat value of gold was also shown, and for silver, the decimal value of the standard was used. The assay office marks for gold would be in a square shield with chamfered corners and in a blunt oval for silver.
However, in 1999, changes were made to the Hallmarking Act 1973 following a ruling by the European Court of Justice. The UK was required to accept national hallmarks of member states who provided an equivalent guarantee. This meant that the import mark was removed, and UK assay offices began to recognize hallmarks from other member countries of the Convention.
Imported plate, or items made of silver or gold that were imported into the UK, were required to have an assay office mark indicating where the item was tested and marked. This ensured that even imported items met the UK's high standards of quality and purity.

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