Make and sell jewellery: hallmarking rules

Hallmarking law applies across the UK. The nickel, cadmium, lead and children's product rules below apply in Great Britain. Northern Ireland follows EU rules.

When silver jewellery needs a hallmark

In the course of a business, it is an offence to describe an unhallmarked article as wholly or partly gold, silver, platinum or palladium. It is also an offence to supply, or offer to supply, an article that carries that description. Holding stock for sale counts as offering it.

The description can be a fineness stamp such as 925, a website listing, a catalogue or price list, or something you say. A piece that carries no precious metal description is not caught.

Pieces light enough to sell without a hallmark

The weight exemption applies only if the piece:

• contains no precious metal that ranks higher than the metal you are weighing (platinum ranks highest, then gold, palladium and silver)
• contains no precious metal below its minimum fineness
• uses only precious metal solder of hallmarking standard fineness
• meets the mixed-material conditions if it contains anything other than precious metal

A piece with base metal parts, such as a clasp or findings, needs those parts to be clearly distinguishable by colour or struck with the word "metal". A piece with stones, glass, resin or other non-metal parts but no base metal needs those parts to be clearly visible and distinguishable. They must not be plated or coloured to look like precious metal, and the precious metal must be at least 100 micrometres thick.

Other exemptions cover articles for despatch outside the UK, and gold or silver pieces of minimum fineness made before 1950 and not improperly altered since. Schedule 1 to the Act lists the rest.

Get a piece hallmarked

Describe your metals correctly

A base metal piece described as silver, gold or similar breaks the law in the same way as an unhallmarked silver one.

A carat, sterling or Britannia description is presumed to mean a set fineness, so a piece sold under one of those descriptions must meet it.

Since 6 April 2025, a false description of fineness is also treated as a misleading action under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. This covers calling lower-fineness silver sterling. Understating fineness is not caught.

Notices for your stall, shop or website

If you make or sell articles of precious metal, you are a dealer. You must keep the notice on display at all times, in a place your customers can see. Section 11 of the Act sets no weight exemption from this duty.

Metal content of your findings and finished pieces

UK REACH restricts these 3 metals in jewellery sold in Great Britain. It is an offence to place jewellery on the market that breaks the limits, and trading standards enforce them.

The cadmium and lead limits also cover beads and components sold for jewellery making. Crystal glass, natural and reconstructed precious and semi-precious stones not treated with lead, and enamels are outside the lead limit.

Test your pieces and keep the reports. Ask suppliers of findings or finished pieces for theirs.

If children will wear your pieces

No separate law covers children's jewellery. A toy needs the full toy conformity process: the right marking, technical documentation and a declaration of conformity kept for 10 years.

If you sell unhallmarked pieces

Take down any listing that describes an unhallmarked piece as precious metal until the piece is hallmarked or the description is corrected.

Where to get help

Ask an assay office before you rely on a weight exemption or send a piece for hallmarking. For product safety and the chemical limits, ask your local council's trading standards service. In Northern Ireland, ask the Trading Standards Service.