Why I'm celebrating with the Queen!
Top of the news this week was that on Sunday, Her Majesty the Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, having acceded to the throne in 1952.
To commemorate the Queen's 70 years of service for her people and country, the British Hallmarking Council, has sanctioned a celebratory component mark depicting an orb. For the whole of this year, jewellers can request to have the special mark added to their jewellery adding to it’s history and provenance.
About Hallmarking
When any jeweller begins working and selling precious metal jewellery, they have a legal duty to register for a unique maker’s mark and to send pieces to their chosen assay office for testing.
On arrival, pieces are weighed and tested before being struck with a set of hallmarks to denote the standard and quality of the metal. With three offices to choose from in the UK and one in Scotland, I chose to register mine at the oldest - The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in London.
The Leopard’s Head
The symbol for the Goldsmith’s Assay Office is the leopard and any piece of precious metal jewellery or decorative-ware that has been hallmarked in London since 1300 will have the mark on it.
Commemorative marks have always been popular in the UK and the Platinum Jubilee ‘Orb’ can be applied to any precious metal, alongside the standard hallmarks.
This is the first time that I will have been able to request a commemorative mark as I just missed out on the Diamond Jubilee mark in 2012 so, I will be requesting that all my hallmarked jewellery (both collections and commission pieces) made between now and the end of 2022 includes the commemorative orb.
Hallmarks Explained
I’m proud to have my work hallmarked at the Goldsmiths’ Hall in London as it denotes a standard and reassures buyers of quality.
As I’m often asked what the different symbols mean, here’s a brief rundown.
So, perhaps if commissioning a new and unique piece of jewellery has been on your mind for a while or maybe you have an older piece that you no longer wear and would like remodelled, this would be a perfect year to do so- you’d certainly be celebrating in good company!
Want to know more?
Use this link to find out more about how to commission a bespoke piece of jewellery this year.
Keep in Touch
Feel free to get in touch if you’d like to discuss an idea.
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