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Hallmark
A hallmark, is a mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals - platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. more...
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General overview
Hallmarks defined
A hallmark, is a mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals - platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term hallmark can also be used refer to any distinguishing characteristic or trait.
Historically, hallmarks were applied by a trusted party: the 'guardians of the craft' or nowadays by an assay office. These marks guarantee a certain purity or fineness of the metal.
Hallmarks distinguished from marks
These official hallmarks should not be confused with a markings, which often are just a number such as 750 or 925 (albeit intended to denote the fineness of the metal), which is done by the manufacturer, and unfortunately may not always reflect the true purity of the metal.
Pre-requisites to hallmarking
Notwithstanding the hallmarking systems of many nations require, as a prerequisite to official hallmarking, that the maker or sponsor itself mark upon the item a responsibility mark and a claim of fineness. Responsibility marks are also required in the U.S. despite the fact that there is no official hallmarking scheme in that country. Nevertheless, in nations with an official hallmarking scheme, the hallmark is only applied after the item has been assayed to determine that its purity conforms not only to the standards set down by the law but also and with the maker’s claims as to metallurgical content.
Systems differs from nation to nation
In some nations, such as the UK, the hallmark is made up of several elements including: a mark denoting the type of metal, the maker/sponsor's mark and the year of the marking. In other nations, such as Switzerland, the hallmark is a single mark regardless of metal or fineness, although that mark is augmented by a responsibility mark (known as a sponsor's mark in the UK) and the maker’s claim as to the fineness. Among a group of nations which are signatories to an international convention known as the Vienna Convention, additional, optional, yet official marks may also be struck by the assay office. These have the effect of easing import obligations among and between the member states.
History of hallmarking
Read more at Wikipedia.org
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