English Hallmark News

Fellow appraiser Anne Weston sent an email alerting me to a recent Antiques Trade Gazette article on the possibly elimination of the English Hallmark system. The rationale behind the move is to reduce red tape and make it easier for industry to conform to government regulations.  It would be a shame to lose this historic system.  The assay offices in London and Birmingham are campaigning to keep hallmark process intact.  The ATG article is short, so I have taken the liberty to post in its entirety.

The ATG reports

HALLMARKS on new items made of precious metal may be scrapped under a Government bid to reduce red tape.

Now the Assay Offices in Birmingham and London have launched an appeal to persuade as many people as possible to object to the proposals, which form part of a consultation called The Red Tape challenge. Launched on April 7, comments are invited online until May 5.

"The Red Tape Challenge aims to reduce regulation which stifles enterprise and industry," said an Assay Office spokesman.

"The message from the Government appears to be that every regulation highlighted will be abolished – unless visitors to the website express sufficient good reasons to convince ministers that this particular regulation must be kept."

Hallmarking is one of eight key topics under scrutiny.  "We believe it is imperative to the British consumer for the current and future UK jewellery industry to maintain hallmarking as a statutory independent service," the Assay Office argues.

They want people to log on to www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/hallmarking and register their objections.