Hallmark
A hallmark is an official marking made by a trusted party, 'guardians of the craft' or nowadays by an assay office, on items made of precious metals (platinum, gold and silver) that guarantees a certain purity of the metal. more...
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This should not be confused with a marking, often just a number such as 925, which is done voluntarily by the manufacturer, and unfortunately does not always reflect the true purity of the metal. A hallmark is only applied after the item has been assayed to determine its purity. Often the hallmark is made up of several elements including: the type of metal, the maker and the year of the marking.
Merriam-Webster also defines the metaphorical use of hallmark as: "a distinguishing characteristic, trait, or feature <the dramatic flourishes which are the hallmark of the trial lawyer — Marion K. Sanders>".
History of hallmarking
Hallmarking may have begun as long ago as the sixth century AD. Byzantine silver from this time has a system of five marks which have not been completely deciphered.
Hallmarking is Europe's earliest form of consumer protection. Hallmarking probably started in France, the standard for silver being established in 1260, but the first town mark was established in 1275.
In 1300, King Edward I of England enacted a statute ordering that all silver articles must meet the Sterling silver standard (92.5% pure silver), and should be assayed by 'guardians of the craft', who would then mark the item with a leopard's head.
In 1327, King Edward III of England granted a charter to the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths (more commonly known as the Goldsmiths' Company), marking the beginning of the Company's formal existence.
In 1355, individual maker marks were introduced in France, which was mirrored in England in 1363, adding accountability to the two systems.
In 1427, the date letter system was established in France, allowing the accurate dating of any hallmarked piece.
In 1478, the Assay Office was established in Goldsmiths' Hall. At this time, the date letter system was introduced in England.
In 1697, a higher standard of silver, known as the Britannia standard (95.8% silver) was made compulsory in England to protect the new coinage which was being melted down by silversmiths for the silver. The Sterling standard was restored in 1720.
In 1975, the 1973 Hallmarking Act was enacted, introducing Platinum marking. All four remaining assay offices finally adopted the same date letter sequences.
The latest changes in 1999 were made to the UK hallmarking system to bring the system closer into line with the European Union (EU).
International hallmarking has been plagued by difficulties, because even amongst countries which implement hallmarking, standards and enforcement varies considerably, making it difficult for one country to accept another's hallmarking as equivalent to its own.
Read more at Wikipedia.org
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