History of the Company
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, more commonly known as the Goldsmiths' Company, is one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London and received its first royal charter in 1327.
Trace a Hallmark
The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office is where hallmarking began, and we have been testing and hallmarking precious metals for over 700 years.
Hallmarks should answer three important questions: where, what and who. They can also tell you when a piece was made.
Where
The most important point in identifying UK hallmarks is to find the assay town mark. This tells you where the object was hallmarked. There are four assay offices still in operation in the UK: London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Sheffield. The Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office is the London hallmark.
What
Once this has been done the standard mark should be used to determine the type of metal using the standard or fineness marks. Be careful, as silver plated objects often have stamps resembling hallmarks. Make sure your marks match the official UK hallmarks.
When
The date letter, if present, should be compared to published tables of that assay office. Prior to 1975 the date letter varied for each assay office. Since 1999 the date letter has been a voluntary mark and therefore will not always be present. However, at London assay office, the mark is still applied as standard unless otherwise requested.
Who
Finally the sponsors' mark, which should be unique, indicates the manufacturer.
Most sponsors' marks take the form of initials surrounded by a shield design – this is important, as many different sponsors may have the same initials. Other hallmarks, like commemorative or duty marks, can also provide clues to help you date your object.
How we can help
The Library can offer support for the identification of historic hallmarks. If you would like to ask about a hallmark, or arrange a visit to the library to carry out your own research, email the.library@thegoldsmiths.co.uk for an appointment. Please note, appointments are by prior arrangement only.
London marks struck after 1975
The Assay Office can assist with more recent London hallmarks. Please email registration@assayofficelondon.co.uk with a clear image showing the marks, and a description of the object.
Please note that after May 25th and the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulations, we are limited in the information we can share on 20th and 21st Century makers, and it may not be possible to provide an identification in all cases.
Discover More
The Assay Office
The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office is where hallmarking began, and we have been testing and hallmarking precious metals for over 700 years.
About the Library
Housed on the first floor of Goldsmiths’ Hall, the Library was established in the 1950s as part of the Company’s mission to promote jewellery and silversmithing. Contact us or arrange a visit.