|
Hallmarking
Part II
|
The
London assay office had already established its gold and silver hallmark
with the leopard's head of Edward 'Longshanks', the mark
it still carries today, so after establishing their own
assay offices both Birmingham and Sheffield sought to
establish their own hallmarks. The story goes that both
party's representatives from the two assay offices met
in an inn named |
|
the Crown and Anchor and tossed a coin to decided
which town would have which symbol. Thus, Sheffield adopted
the 'Crown' and Birmingham the 'Anchor' as their hallmarks.
|
|
Ironically, Mathew Boulton was the first to have a batch
of sterling silver work put under the hammer by the Birmingham assay office,
because it did not come up to the necessary 925 sterling silver standard.
Boulton undeterred, went on to found the Soho manufactory in
Handsworth making buckles, |
|
buttons, toys, plate and Silverware.
Boulton later achieved international notoriety with the
'Lunar Society' and James Watt, building the first commercial
steam trains that would drive the Industrial revolution
the world over.
|
|
By the late 1800's the Silver and jewelry trade in Birmingham
was employing 7500 people. The trade peaked in the 19th
Century after the gold rushes in America and Australia,
and by 1913 the number of craftspeople working in Birmingham's
jewelry trade had risen to 50,000. Attracted by theconvenience
of the Assay office and surrounding |
|
silver and gold bullion
dealers, Birmingham's jewelry quarter burgeoned with skilled
craftsmen and women specializing as electroplaters, engravers,
chain makers, gemstone setters and Silver stampers.
|
|
After
two successive World Wars, interspersed by economic depression,
Birmingham's manufacturing industry went into decline.
At present, most of the city's businesses have become
'Service' related, and although Birmingham's jewelry industry still exists
it is but a shadow of its former glory. |
|
In
1999, a new format of English hallmarking on objects of
Sterling Silver was initiated consisting of a maker’s
mark, the assay office insignia and a .925 symbol. Optional
extra marks are the ‘Lion Passant’, the U.K. sign of Sterling Silver, and the date letter stamp. The standardizing of the date letter sequence, shared by all
four remaining assay offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh, London
and Sheffield, were introduced to bring the UK system
closer in line with other European Union standards.
|
|
However,
the problem remains that many countries throughout the
world have different standards and specifications that
vary considerably, making it difficult for one country to accept another's
hallmarking as equivalent to its own. |
|
 |
With
the advent of globalization, ‘Free trade’ and the Internet, finding the problematic solution to
the standardization of world hallmarking has become increasingly
important. In 1972, the European Fair Trade Association consisting of amongst others Austria, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, |  |
Switzerland and the
United Kingdom held the ‘Vienna Convention’
where the first European hallmarking laws for precious
metals were put into force.
|
The
convention enables specially designated assay offices
throughout member countries of the EFTA to apply, after
testing, a common control mark to articles of precious
metals including Sterling Silver in accordance with the Convention.The articles bearing the Convention marks, called CCM: Common Control Marks, are accepted without further testing or marking by the assay office of any destination country that is an EFTA member.
|
| |
 |
|
Although this system is not worldwide as yet, Denmark,
Ireland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands have
since joined the Convention. And Bahrain, France, Israel,
Lithuania, Poland, Spain and several Eastern European
countries have shown an interest in the Convention,
and are preparing for application.
|
|