We have the simplest of pricing structures. Regardless of the metal or product type all articles under 100 grams are charged at the same single unit charge. This makes estimating hallmarking costs easy and accurate.
For pricing information see our price list. Special terms are available for students with our
The Edinburgh Assay Office is delighted to offer all students of jewellery and silversmithing the chance to register for our valuable Student Package which includes:
- Registration of a sponsor’s mark, valid for 10 years.
- A free hallmarking punch (basic 2 initial punch).
- Free laser sponsor mark artwork.
- A hallmarking credit of £30, valid for 1 year after registration.
This package is valued at £170 but costs jewellery and silversmithing students only £30.
This offer is open to all students on a recognised full time jewellery and silversmithing course who study in the UK. All you need to do for proof of student status is get your registration form stamped and signed by your tutor.
To register, please download a student registration form or contact the Edinburgh Assay Office.
Supported by The Scottish Goldsmiths’ Trust.
If you intend to submit consistently high volumes of hallmarking or would like a contracted turnaround please contact us.
Our primary service is to guarantee the purity of precious metals. To do this we assay and subsequently apply hallmarks to articles of gold, silver, platinum and palladium in compliance with National and International regulations. We have provided this service, without interruption, for over 550 years.
Without decrying our 550 year heritage we understand that as a service company we are only ever "as good as our last job". Delivering a consistently high quality of workmanship, fast turnaround and a high standard of customer service are our key business objectives - across the full range of our services.
- Hallmarking compliance for the UK and Europe.
- Fully equipped repair and finishing facilities for the maintenance of finished products.
- Common control hallmarking for EU distribution.
From high quality traditional hallmarking to the latest fibre laser hallmarking and non destructive testing technologies, the Edinburgh Assay Office sets the standard for quality. Our processes are underpinned by rigorous quality control systems and ISO 9001 certification.
See what existing customers had to say about our hallmarking service.
The latest Pricelist / Hallnote / Registration Form and other forms and technical information are available on our downloads page.
Each hallmark tells its own story through a series of individual marks within the hallmark. The first of these is usually the Sponsor's mark. This mark shows either who made the piece, or more commonly who submitted the piece for hallmarking.
For the purposes of traceability you must register a Sponsor's mark of your own with the Edinburgh Assay Office before you can begin sending goods for Hallmarking. Members of the general public can submit goods for hallmarking under the Edinburgh Assay Office sponsor without the need to register.
A Sponsor's mark or Maker's mark consists of at least 2 initials combined with a shape surrounding the initials. The initials of the person or the company applying for registration are normally combined with one of the punch surround shapes available to make up a unique Sponsor's mark.
The cost of registration for the first time is £72.00. You will be required to re-register every 10 years. Re-registration costs £36.00.
Contact us to enquire about registration at the Edinburgh Assay office.
Download a list of punch shapes. Download a registration form.
As part of the registration process you will be asked select or design a unique punch shape containing your initials. Once your unique mark has been registered we can arrange for any punches that you require to be made up. The Edinburgh Assay Office offers a full punch manufacturing service. We will advise on the size and types of punches you will require.
We recommend that customers take advantage of our Virtual Assay Office when submitting goods for hallmarking.
Each separate fineness or standard of metal must be sent with an individual fully-completed hallnote. Any special instructions regarding sampling or marking should be given on a separate special instruction sheet and attached to the back of the hallnote. If you are the manufacturer of the goods, when possible include scrap or off cuts of the metal used to make the piece, or if it is cast leave a small section of the casting sprue attached for testing.
In the case of finished goods this is not necessary. If you would like the Edinburgh Assay Office to apply your sponsor's mark please tick the box on the hallnote. If you want the mark applied in a specific location please indicate with an ink line on the piece.
Contact us to register for our Virtual Assay Office service.
Download a hallnote. Download a special instruction sheet.
Before your goods can be hallmarked they must first of all be tested to ensure they are of the standard submitted.
Where it is not possible to remove a sample of metal for testing we are able to test using X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF). This method is ideal for finished gold, silver and platinum pieces and does not require the removal of any material.
Sometimes in order to test your goods we must first remove a sample of metal. The amount of sample removed is normally less than 100 milligrams (one tenth of a gram). However, our fully trained and equipped jewellery finishing service ensures your products are returned in perfect order.
Any sample physically removed is analysed by our in house 17025 laboratory using cupellation (fire assay) for gold, potentiometric titration for silver, or X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) for platinum and palladium.
Once your item has passed the assay test the Edinburgh Assay Office will apply a hallmark to the item to verify that it has been tested and has passed the relevant standard. The hallmark can be applied to an item of precious metal in different ways, depending on the stage of manufacture, the size and construction of the item and the number of like items submitted with it.
As the name suggests, during hand marking the hallmark is stamped by hand with a punch and a hammer. This technique is ideal for small batches or large single pieces. Before the introduction of laser marking this was the only means of marking delicate items. The Edinburgh Assay Office long led the field in this type of marking and the specialist skills required are retained to this day.
Machine marking involves a punch being applied to the article in similar way to hand marking except that the hallmarking punch is pressed or struck into the item using hydro-pneumatic presses. This technique is ideal for larger batches of like products and remains the quickest and most cost effective means of applying a hallmark.
Laser marking does not require any physical contact with the item. The mark is applied by a very precise computer controlled laser engraving machine. Laser hallmarking is ideal for hallmarking hollow or delicate items as well as for applying marks in an area where it would be otherwise impossible to strike a mark.
More information on current marks is available.
The Virtual Assay Office is our world-leading web-based order submission and tracking system for your hallmarking requirements. It puts you in control and keeps you up-to-date throughout the hallmarking process. You can be sure your order is being processed, confirm it has passed its assay test(s), see an estimated turnaround date and much more. We are the only Assay Office in the UK to provide this end-to-end functionality.
Are you an existing user? Please login here.
If you are interested in registering to use this service please contact us. Web-based registration coming soon.
It couldn't be simpler to use. The system runs in your web browser, so their is no software to install. All data is encrypted to the latest industry standards and the system is accessible from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.
- Convenient and easy to use online submission.
- No paperwork to complete.
- Confirmation of receipt by the Edinburgh Assay Office.
- Advance scheduling by us means quicker turnaround for you.
- Agents and manufacturing partners can be given limited access for submission on your behalf.
- Your details are stored and default preferences can be configured making submission even easier.
- Options to import stock list(s) by automated csv import are also available allowing seamless automated integration with merchandising systems.
- From any location worldwide.
- Track your goods on route to the Edinburgh Assay Office.
- Track your goods through the assay process.
- Track your goods on their return with links to all the major carriers' track and trace systems.
- Automated email notification when your completed consignments are dispatched including mail/carrier tracking references for seamless traceability.
- Access your entire job history and reprint job details or invoices through the same online interface.
- Receive a text or email when delivery is one hour away giving you the option to reschedule delivery if inconvenient.
Our Laboratory is accredited to ISO17025 for the analysis of platinum, gold, palladium and silver. We offer a number of precious metal testing and analysis services:
- Testing for compliance with EU Nickel Directive.
- Precious metal plating thickness determination and wear testing.
- Tarnish resistance testing.
- Toxicity analysis.
- Sulphur agent testing.
- Packaging testing.
Laboratory services prices are available on request.
Our laser engraving facilities apply logos, sequential numbering and other complex engraving according to your specifications.
We also use these facilities for hallmarking. For the most delicate of articles, or where for technical reasons the articles would be unsuitable for contact (punch) marking. Our laser hallmarking department apply hallmarks in a full range of sizes and depths, from surface marking for finished goods, to deep marking designed to withstand a secondary finishing process. All our laser hallmarks are cleaned using a high pressure steam application that ensures all vaporised metals are removed. This leaves a perfectly crisp and clean hallmark.
Laser engraving price list and quotations available on request. Additional artwork and design charges available on request. For laser hallmarking pricing information see our price list.
