To sell precious metal articles legally in the UK, you need to have them hallmarked. Our aim is to provide a simple, practical guidelines which simplify the hallmarking process from registration, submitting your work and payment options, to receiving your work back with a beautifully-crafted London hallmark.
To start hallmarking, first you need to register here. On registering with us, you select your sponsor's mark, then, either order your punch, or choose to have your work hallmarked by laser.
If you are a full, or part time student, you can take advantage of our exclusive student registration package. You will need to send proof of your student status to apply.
When you register with us, you are registering a sponsor’s mark - the first symbol in the hallmark. Each sponsors’ mark is unique and therefore provides a traceable link to the source of an article.
You can choose laser only, or laser and punch registration. Unlike other Assay Offices we don't charge extra to apply the hallmark by laser. If you select a laser-only package it means your hallmark will be applied by laser every time you send work in. (You could contact us to have a punch made of your sponsor’s mark at a later date, but this would be an additional purchase.) Read more about the different methods of hallmarking.
A ten year registration fee costs £72 (including VAT) and is renewable after 10 years. This fee includes free laser set up for standard designs.
Should you wish to purchase a punch so you can have your hallmark struck you can buy a punch additionally. Cost depends on quantity of initials requested - see below.
You can register online here and will be guided through the choices.
A specially commissioned beaker from 2010 - showing multiple sponsor's marks as decoration.
Swan Neck Punch (top) and Standard Punch (below)
All punches are manufactured by our engineers in the workshop within Goldsmiths’ Hall. They can be cut on two different types of shank. These are known as “straight” and “swan neck” and are finished by hand to excellent precision.
As a guide, a swan neck punch should be ordered if you make rings. The crook in the neck enables a mark to be applied neatly inside the curve. This type of punch can also be used on flat surfaces, making it the preferred choice if you are only ordering one punch.
Swan neck punches cannot be made larger than 1mm in height. Straight punches are used on items with a flat surface where the markers have a clear line of sight, which may include silverware, cufflinks and pendants.
The size of the punch should reflect the type of articles to be hallmarked, and choosing the correct size is paramount. A large punch will be unsuitable for delicate items as the punching process will displace the metal.
Sizes start from 0.5mm and go up to 6mm in height. Read more on our methods page.
Your registration expires after 10 years. In your online account a notification will appear 6 months prior to its expiry. Please follow the links there to renew your registration. If you renew after the deadline full registration costs will apply. Your punch will be destroyed if not renewed.
Once you have registered, you are ready to submit your work. Do so by submitting a “hallnote”. It’s your “order form” for us, describes the articles and metal, and gives you an area to write any special instructions you have for us.
Submit your online hallnote in your Account section. You are guided step-by-step through process and you can also track and pay for your packets in your Account area.
Or, if you cannot submit a hallnote online, you can download a paper hallnote, and a Special Requests Form should you need one. Read our guide to completing your written hallnote here. Or, read a guide on how to submit your work online here.
The best way to submit your work is online as it notifies us of the service level you require. When you do this please print and attach the barcode to the outermost of the packaging. There are printers at the counters so you can do this at drop off.
If you submit a hand-written paper hallnote you must inform us which service you would like – verbally at the counter, and/or in writing on the outside of your packet, and in the relevant area on your hallnote. We receive a high volume of packets a day so to enable us to prioritise accordingly we need this indicated to us at the first instance.
Please note that each metal, fineness, sponsor's mark and marking method need to be submitted with its own separate hallnote. Remember, one metal, one standard, one hallnote! This reduces the likelihood of error and helps improve turnaround times.
You will need to separate newly manufactured goods from second hand goods, and give separate hallnotes for those too.
Finally, special assays and smelting requests need to be submitted on separate hallnotes.
For specifics please see Rules for Submission.
Under normal circumstances, it’s left to the discretion of the Assay Office to place the hallmark as appropriate, according to the product type, taking into account construction and the stage of manufacture when submitted – we have default positions in which we place the hallmark.
We have centuries of years of knowledge in this area, with in-house tool making facilities if required. However, if you have a specific size or place you want the mark placed, you need to request this on the hallnote. We also recommend that you use a non-permanent marker to mark the position before submission. Please bear in mind that struck marks need to be supported with a tool in some way, so it is not always possible to mark in the desired position.
Specific Hallmarking formations can be found here, enabling you to request accordingly.
Package your work in the least amount of packaging possible without compromising the safety and security of your work.
A charge is applied where the packaging used adds additional time to the standard handling of a packet. "Handling" is something which may need to be executed before the hallmark can be applied e.g. opening a poly bag, removing tissue wrapping, sliding butterflies off earrings, untying or untangling items. Two or more handling procedures incur a charge. Check the price list for full information.
We are on hand to offer advice so if you are unsure of anything please get in touch.
By Post – Please send all your work by Royal Mail Special delivery to our main office at Goldsmiths' Hall.
By Hand – you can submit work to us by hand to our main office at Goldsmiths' Hall or the Greville Street sub-office.
By Courier – You can use a secure courier service to delivery and collect your work. You will be responsible for arranging collection and delivery as well as any costs incurred.
If you are sending someone on your behalf to collect your work, and they do not have your receipt, please email Goldsmiths' Hall Logistics or Greville Street Logistics with the packet number and name of the courier or person collecting. They will need to show ID.
In all instances, deliver all metal component parts where items are incomplete/unassembled.
It is your responsibility to get packets to the Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office. Any charges for delivery of packets will not be accepted unless agreed in advance. Items sent by post will incur a small handling fee - see price list in Downloads area.
Before submitting your articles please refer to our terms and conditions.
You need to pay for your hallmarking before we release your articles to you. If submitting your work by post you will receive an email alert when your articles can be paid for.
The most straightforward way to do so is by paying online in your Account section.
If you submit your packet online, you can even pay on submission of the articles, so you don't have to wait until it is hallmarked to pay. Please note, if additional services are required during the assay/hallmark process, further charges will be incurred.
Alternatively, you can pay by card when you collect your work.
To apply for a Credit account, please contact us for more information.
One Hour Service | Same Day Service | Next Day 'Early Hall' Service | 5 Day Guarantee
Standard turnaround for our hallmarking service is typically 5 working days - however work may take longer in times of high demand. You can have your work marked quicker by using a Priority Service - One Hour, Same Day, Next Day (aka. Early Hall), or Guaranteed 5 Day (online only).
If you choose to have laser engraving on your priority packets, this may increase the time it takes for us to complete your work overall, depending on the complexity of your request.
Get up to five items hallmarked within one hour.
Up to 10 items at Greville Street and up to 30 items at Goldsmiths' Hall.
NB: You must inform the Greville Street team if your packet contains over 10 items as this may delay its processing and result in your packet being transferred to Goldsmiths’ Hall to be marked.
Get up to ten items hallmarked within the day.
We guarantee to complete your hallmarking within 5 full working days. Up to 10 items at Greville Street and up to 500 items at Goldsmiths' Hall.
Hatton Garden office on Greville Street
Meet the team here, and the office contact details here.
The Greville Street Team
Goods that are shipped from abroad can be sent directly from the supplier to Goldsmiths' Hall, speeding up the supply chain and eliminating unnecessary transport costs.
Goods will be checked against the invoice or delivery note, assayed and hallmarked as normal and then forwarded to your desired destination. Direct from manufacturer to retailer.
Alternatively importers may like to use our Heathrow office for our premium service which is run in partnership with Brinks. Contact us for more information.
The below tables indicate submission rules dependent on service level and site. These correspond with our Terms & Conditions.
| Goldsmiths' Hall | Greville Street | Heathrow | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postal Service | ✔ | ||
| Customer Drop Off | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Lab Services (smelt & assay) | ✔ (drop off only) | ||
| International Distribution | ✔ | ✔ | |
| One Hour Service | ✔ (up to 5 items) | ✔ (up to 5 items) | ✔ (by prior arrangement) |
| Same Day Service | ✔ (up to 10 items) | ✔ (up to 10 items) | ✔ (by prior arrangement) |
| Next Day | ✔ (up to 30 items) | ✔ (up to 10 items) | ✔ (by prior arrangement) |
| Trading Standard Liaison | ✔ | ||
| Tours | ✔ (by prior arrangement) | ||
| Valuation | ✔ | ||
| Educational Seminars | ✔ (by prior arrangement) |
| Service Level | Paper Hallnote | Online Hallnote | Greville Street | Goldsmiths' Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Day Guarantee | N/A | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Standard | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Next Day | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Same Day | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| One Hour | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Postal Services | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Second Hand* | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Change of Use | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Special Assay | ✔ | ✔ |
| Service Level | Standard Hallmarking | Display Marks | Laser Engraving | Laser Logo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Day Guarantee | ✔ | |||
| Standard | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Next Day | ✔ | * | * | * |
| Same Day | ✔ | * | * | * |
| One Hour | ✔ | * | * | * |
| Postal Services | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Second Hand | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Special Assay | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* packets submitted containing requests for these services will still be charged and processed as a priority packet but the delivery time cannot be guaranteed.
| Service Level | Maximum Packet Size | Latest Submission Time | Latest Completion Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Day Guarentee | 10 | N/A | 5 full working days after day of receipt |
| Standard | 10 | N/A | N/A |
| Next Day | 10** | 5pm | 4.30pm next working day |
| Same Day | 10** | 12pm | 4.30pm same day |
| One Hour | 5** | 4pm | 5pm same day |
| Postal Services | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Second Hand | N/A | N/A | 5+ days dependent on complexity |
| Special Assay | N/A | N/A | 5+ days dependent on service |
| Service Level | Maximum Packet Size | Latest Submission Time | Latest Completion Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Day Guarentee | 500 | N/A | 5 full working days after day of receipt |
| Standard | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Next Day | 30** | 5pm | 4.30pm next working day |
| Same Day | 10** | 12pm | 4.30pm same day |
| One Hour | 5** | 4pm | 5pm same day |
| Postal Services | Service dependent | Service dependent | Service dependent |
| Second Hand | N/A | N/A | 5+ days dependent on complexity |
| Special Assay | N/A | N/A | 5+ days dependent on service |
**packets containing larger quantities of articles than these limits will still be charged and processed as a priority packet but the delivery time cannot be guaranteed.
See also T&Cs in the downloads section here.
The second hand item service is for items that are submitted to us where the metal or fineness is unknown, usually because the items, or part of the items, were not made by the person submitting it for hallmarking.
Often parts of the same item consist of different metals or finenesses therefore requiring additional testing. When items fit into this category the second-hand service fee in our Pricelist will apply. You can see the Pricelist in our Downloads section here.
Second hand packets cannot be processed in one hour or overnight (“Early Hall”), if you select an Early Hall service we will process your packet as a priority but do not guarantee a turnaround time.
The practice of altering already hallmarked articles is becoming increasingly popular - below are our guidelines on this process and detail on the various outcomes. Where an item already bearing a hallmark is changed on purpose, ie. a spoon is shaped to become a bangle, it still needs to be submitted to an Assay Office for verification to ensure its provenance is detailed.The law as outlined in The Hallmarking act states: ”.. it shall be an offence for any person to make an addition, alteration or repair to an article bearing approved hallmarks, except in accordance with the written consent of an assay office.”We call the process of granting consent for alterations, “Change of Use”.There are four possible outcomes:
If you change an item from one form to another, without adding any metal to the product, we will process this as a change of use packet, assaying the metal, ensuring the hallmark remains valid, adding a reference number to the piece and assigning this number onto a change of use certificate which can accompany the piece when it is sold.
If you add metal to the original item (there are weight restrictions as stated in 5(4) of the Hallmarking Act* Pg. 7) and change its use then we assay and hallmark this in its own right, charging a second-hand fee, cross-hatching over the existing mark, leaving the provenance of the original hallmark and applying a new hallmark on to the piece at the appropriate standard.
If you add metal to the original item (there are weight restrictions as stated in 5(4) of the Hallmarking Act* Pg. 7) which has not had its use changed then an additions mark can be applied.
If there is no hallmark on an item, irrelevant of whether the use of it has been changed or had parts added, then it needs to be submitted for a new hallmark and charged as a second-hand item as the standard of the metal would be unknown. This also applies if the hallmark is deemed illegible by us.
*You can get a copy of the Hallmarking Act in the Downloads section here.
The additions mark is used when new metal is added to an already hallmarked item and consists of either:
1. Sponsor’s mark, traditional fineness symbol, millesimal fineness and date letter where the existing Hallmark is a London mark
2. Sponsor’s mark, date letter, traditional fineness symbol and millesimal fineness where the existing Hallmark is a London mark.
1. Sponsor’s mark, traditional fineness symbol, millesimal fineness and date letter where the existing Hallmark is a London mark.
2. Sponsor’s mark, date letter, traditional fineness symbol and millesimal fineness where the existing Hallmark is a London mark.
