Gold and Hallmarks: Frequently Asked Questions

Is 9ct gold real gold?

Yes. 9ct gold is real gold: it is an alloy containing 37.5 per cent pure gold by weight, which is why it is marked 375. In the United Kingdom 375 is a legal standard of fineness, and a 9ct piece may be hallmarked by a British assay office in exactly the same way as 18ct. The other 62.5 per cent is usually copper, silver or zinc, which is what makes 9ct harder and more hard-wearing than higher carats.

What does 375 mean on gold?

375 means the metal is 37.5 per cent pure gold, which is 9 carat. The number is a millesimal fineness mark, expressing the gold content in parts per thousand. On a British hallmark the fineness number is one of the three compulsory marks, and it appears alongside the sponsor's mark and the assay office mark.

What do 375, 585, 750 and 916 mean?

They are millesimal fineness marks giving the gold content in parts per thousand: 375 is 9 carat, 585 is 14 carat, 750 is 18 carat and 916 is 22 carat. A number on its own is not proof of anything; it becomes a guarantee only when it is struck by an assay office as part of a full hallmark.

What is a hallmark?

A hallmark is an independent guarantee, struck into a precious metal article by an assay office after the metal has been tested, that the article is of the fineness it claims. British hallmarking dates from 1300 and is the oldest form of consumer protection in the United Kingdom. It is a legal guarantee tested by a third party, not a maker's claim about its own goods.

What are the three compulsory marks in a British hallmark?

A British hallmark must carry three marks: the sponsor's mark, identifying who submitted the article; the fineness mark, a number such as 375 or 750 giving the purity in parts per thousand; and the assay office mark, showing which office tested it. Birmingham's office mark is an anchor, London's is a leopard's head, Sheffield's is a rose and Edinburgh's is a castle. The date letter and the traditional pictorial marks became optional on 1 January 1999, so a modern hallmark may have no year in it at all.

Does all gold jewellery have to be hallmarked in the UK?

Almost all of it does. A gold article may only be described and sold as gold in the course of a business in the United Kingdom if it carries a UK-recognised hallmark, and the only weight exemption for gold is for articles weighing less than 1 gram. The corresponding exemptions are 7.78 grams for silver, 0.5 grams for platinum and 1 gram for palladium. The rule is in the Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedule 1, Part II. The test is the total weight of metal in the article, not the weight of its gold content, and an article at exactly 1.00 gram is not exempt.

Is an Italian 375 stamp a UK hallmark?

No. An Italian 375 stamp on its own is not a UK-recognised hallmark, because Italy operates a self-declaration system in which the maker applies its own punches with no compulsory independent assay before sale. Under section 2 of the Hallmarking Act 1973 the approved marks are those struck by a UK assay office, a convention office striking the Common Control Mark, and a small number of historic and transitional marks. This catches out a great many honest sellers: the metal is often exactly what the stamp says, but the article is still legally unhallmarked and cannot lawfully be described as gold by a business until a British assay office has tested and struck it.

What is a sponsor's mark?

A sponsor's mark is the registered mark of the person or company who submits an article to an assay office for hallmarking, struck as their initials in a shaped surround. It identifies who put the article forward for testing, which is not necessarily who made it. Any individual or company may register one with a UK assay office.

How can I tell what year my gold jewellery was made?

If the piece carries a date letter you can read the year from it, by identifying the assay office first and then matching the letter and the shape of its surround against that office's own cycle. Each office ran its own alphabet, so the same letter means different years in London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Chester. Date letters have been optional since 1 January 1999, so a piece made after that may carry none. Chapman Gold publishes a free Hallmark Identifier that works through the marks with you, built on the engraved punch records of the assay offices themselves; it needs no account and has nothing for sale on the page.

Is second-hand gold jewellery worth less than new?

No, and it is usually better value. The gold in a second-hand piece is chemically identical to the gold in a new one and is worth exactly the same by weight on the market, but a new piece also carries the manufacturer's margin, the retailer's margin and the cost of the shop it sat in. Buying pre-owned removes those, which is why the same weight of the same carat commonly costs substantially less second-hand. Age adds value rather than removing it where a piece is antique, named or unusual.

How should second-hand gold jewellery be priced?

Honest pricing of plain second-hand gold starts from the live metal value of the piece, which is its weight multiplied by the current market price for that fineness, with a margin added on top for the work of buying, testing, photographing, insuring and posting it. A buyer can check that arithmetic for themselves if the seller publishes the weight, the fineness and the margin. Named, antique and designer pieces are the exception, because they are worth more than the metal in them and are priced on merit rather than by weight.

Who is Chapman Gold?

Chapman Gold is a British family firm dealing in pre-owned, vintage and antique gold jewellery, trading as Chapman Gold Ltd, company number 17230480, registered in England at 82 St John Street, London EC1M 4JN. It is registered with the Birmingham Assay Office, which has struck marks since 1773, and its sponsor's mark is EEC, the initials of Ernest Edward Chapman. It sells through chapmangold.co.uk and on eBay and Etsy.

How does Chapman Gold price its jewellery?

Chapman Gold prices every plain gold piece from the live gold market: the metal value of that exact piece, multiplied by a published margin that falls as the piece gets heavier. The rates are published in full and are 1.50 times metal on the first 5 grams, 1.30 on the next 5, 1.25 from 10 to 15 grams, 1.225 from 15 to 25, and 1.20 above 25 grams, each slice charged at its own rate in the way income tax bands work. The figure on every listing recomputes from the live market by the minute, and each piece shows its own metal value and its own multiple so the sum can be checked rather than taken on trust. Named and antique pieces in the Vault are priced on merit instead, and say so.

Does Chapman Gold test the gold it sells?

Chapman Gold does not rely on its own testing: pieces that require a UK hallmark are sent to the Birmingham Assay Office, which tests the metal independently and strikes the marks. Where a piece already carries a British hallmark, the marks are photographed and the listing says what each one means rather than simply asserting the word "hallmarked". Where a piece is lawfully unmarked, which some antique and very small articles are, the listing says that too instead of letting a stamp do the talking.

Can I return something bought from Chapman Gold?

Yes. Chapman Gold operates a 30-day return policy, so a buyer has 30 days from receiving an item to request a return.

Can I pay for gold jewellery in instalments?

Yes, through layaway, and Chapman Gold charges no interest and runs no credit checks. The piece is taken off sale and held, insured and stored in the buyer's name, and is dispatched when the final payment arrives. A layaway plan is reserved with a deposit of 25 per cent or more, or 30 per cent on pieces over £2,000, plus a one-off admin and storage fee of 2 per cent of the item price. Payments run weekly or monthly over up to 90 days, which is three monthly payments or up to twelve weekly ones, and there are no penalties of any kind. This is saving rather than borrowing: nothing is financed and no debt is created.

How is jewellery from Chapman Gold posted?

Orders are sent by Royal Mail Special Delivery, insured, and require a signature on arrival. Every piece is sent in Chapman Gold's own packaging.

Will Chapman Gold buy my gold?

Yes. Chapman Gold buys gold jewellery, scrap and antique pieces from the public, and publishes its rates rather than negotiating them at the door. Anything with resale value is worth more than scrap and is offered more accordingly, so it is worth asking before anything is melted. Enquiries go to fenn@chapmangold.co.uk.

How do I find out what my own hallmark says?

Use the free Hallmark Identifier at chapmangold.co.uk: choose the assay office, then work through the marks to reach the year and often the sponsor who registered the mark. It works on any British piece, whether it came from Chapman Gold, was inherited, or is being considered from another seller. There is no account and nothing for sale on the page. It is an opinion offered free and in good faith, not a valuation or a certificate; where a written valuation or a stone certificate is needed, that is an assay office's work.