Sterling Silver Jewelry - The History Of Hallmarking In The British Isles Part II

The London assay office had already established itsmark, the assay office insignia and a .925 symbol.
gold and silver hallmark with the leopard's head ofOptional extra marks are the 'Lion Passant', the U.K.
Edward 'Longshanks', the mark it still carries today. Sosign of sterling silver, and the date letter stamp. The
in the late 1700's, after establishing their own assaystandardizing of the date letter sequence, shared by all
offices, both Birmingham and Sheffield sought tofour remaining assay offices in Birmingham, Edinburgh,
establish their own hallmarks. The story goes, that bothLondon and Sheffield, were introduced to bring the UK
party's representatives from the two assay officessystem closer in line with other European Union
met in an inn named the Crown and Anchor, wherestandards.
they tossed a coin to decide which town would haveHowever, the problem remains that many countries
which symbol. Thus, Sheffield adopted the 'Crown'throughout the world have different standards and
hallmark and Birmingham the 'Anchor.'specifications that vary considerably, making it difficult
Ironically, Mathew Boulton was the first to have afor one country to accept another's hallmarking as
batch of sterling silver work put under the hammer byequivalent to its own. With the advent of globalization,
the Birmingham assay office, because it did not come'Free trade' and the Internet, finding the problematic
up to the necessary 925 sterling silver standard.solution to the standardization of world hallmarking has
Boulton undeterred, went on to found the Sohobecome increasingly important.
manufactory in Handsworth making buckles, buttons,In 1972, the European Fair Trade Association (EFTA)
toys, plate and silverware. Boulton, the pioneeringconsisting of amongst others Austria, Finland, Norway,
industrialist, later achieved international notoriety withPortugal, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom
the 'Lunar Society' and James Watt, who built the firstheld the 'Vienna Convention' where the first European
commercial steam trains that would drive the Industrialhallmarking laws for precious metals were put into
revolution the world over.force. The convention enables specially designated
By the late 1800's the silver and jewelry trade inassay offices throughout member countries of the
Birmingham was employing 7,500 people. The tradeEFTA to apply, after testing, a common control mark
peaked in the 19th Century after the gold rushes into articles of precious metals including sterling silver in
America and Australia, and by 1913 the number ofaccordance with the Convention. The articles bearing
craftspeople working in Birmingham's jewelry tradethe Convention marks, called CCM: Common Control
had risen to 50,000. Attracted by the convenience ofMarks, are accepted without further testing or marking
the Assay office and surrounding silver and gold bullionby the assay office of any destination country that is
dealers, Birmingham's jewelry quarter burgeoned withan EFTA member.
skilled craftsmen and women specializing asAlthough this system is not worldwide as yet,
electroplaters, engravers, chain makers, gemstoneDenmark, Ireland, the Czech Republic and the
setters and silver stampers.Netherlands have since joined the Convention. And
After two successive World Wars, interspersed byBahrain, France, Israel, Lithuania, Poland, Spain and
economic depression, Birmingham's manufacturingseveral Eastern European countries have shown an
industry went into decline. At present, most of the city'sinterest in the Convention and are preparing for
businesses have become 'Service' related, andapplication.
although Birmingham's jewelry industry still exists it isRead Sterling Silver Jewelry - The History Of
but a shadow of its former glory.Hallmarking In The British Isles Part I.
In 1999, a new format of English hallmarking on objectsCopyright © SilverShake Corporation. All Rights
of sterling silver was initiated consisting of a maker'sReserved.