Our Purity Guarantee & Testing Policy

You may have noticed that some of our listings are sparsely described when it comes to the metal that the ring is set in. This is because the description of precious metals is tightly regulated under British law; we are very conscious not to break the law in describing our rings. Whilst hallmarking rules are strict, there are many beautiful pieces on the secondary market, crafted in precious metals that do not bear an official hallmark. Please be assured that every single ring in our collection is meticulously tested for metal purity before it is listed for sale. We do not sell silver, non-precious metal or low-carat gold jewellery. So if metal purity has not been mentioned, the ring cannot be officially declared as a precious metal because of its lack of hallmark; we guarantee that the piece has been verified to meet the high standards of fineness expected of fine jewelry. Do get in contact if you are confused about the metal of a specific ring and we will be delighted to discuss it in more detail.

UK Hallmarking & The Law

In the United Kingdom, consumer protection is strictly governed by the Hallmarking Act 1973. Under this law, it is a criminal offence for any business to describe or sell an item as "gold," "silver," "platinum," or "palladium" unless it bears an officially recognized hallmark from an independent UK Assay Office. Stamps on the ring, such as “18ct” or “plat” are made by the maker or a jeweller to specify what the ring is made of, but this is not an official hallmark and therefore a stamp such as that is not sufficient for the ring to be described by us as 18ct gold or platimun. A hallmark is your legal guarantee that the metal has been scientifically tested and verified for purity. There are exemptions for pieces containing under 1g of gold or palladium and under 0.5g of platinum or pieces that were made before 1950. Even in the case of exemptions, we err on the side of caution in our descriptions.

The Official Approved Hallmarks

To help you identify and understand the stamps inside your jewelry, please refer to the official British Hallmarking Council Dealer's Notice displayed below. This chart outlines the compulsory marks—the Sponsor’s Mark, the Millesimal Fineness Mark, and the Assay Office Mark—that guarantee the authenticity of your piece.