Birmingham Assay Office.
Birmingham Assay Office
| Birmingham Assay Office (1877) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Assay Office |
| Architectural style | Victorian Italianate |
| Address | Newhall Street |
| Town or city | Birmingham |
What are the 4 assay offices?
Assay Offices test the purity of precious metals, to protect consumers from buying fake items.
The Assay Offices
- Birmingham Assay Office.
- Edinburgh Assay Office.
- London Assay Office.
- Sheffield Assay Office.
How many assay offices are there?
Today there are four assay offices in Great Britain: Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield. There is also an assay office in Dublin, which until 1923 was recognised as a having approved British hallmarks and continues to mark articles in a similar manner.
Where was the Chester Assay Office?
Photographed below is the Chester Assay Office which was located on Goss Street in Chester.
Which Assay Office has an Anchor?
Birmingham Assay Office
Birmingham. Assay Office Birmingham was established by Act of Parliament and was opened in 1773. Its Mark is an Anchor, which can be combined with a Sponsor’s Mark, a Fineness Mark, a Traditional Mark (e.g. Lion Passant), a Date Letter, and a Duty Mark.
Who is the king’s assay master?
Graeme Smith – Head of Consumer Manufacturing & The Kings Assay Master at The Royal Mint – Newport, Wales, United Kingdom | LinkedIn.
What Assay Office is Crown?
Sheffield Assay Office
The Crown was used by Sheffield Assay Office to mark silver from 1773 until 1973. In 1903, when Sheffield was also allowed to mark gold as well as silver, the Rose was added as a gold mark.
Can I stamp my own gold?
Makers are not allowed to stamp their own work. Several marks are applied by the assay office: a purity mark, an assay office symbol, a maker’s mark and a date stamping that is usually a letter.
What are the 5 standard silver marks?
There are five standard marks used in British and Irish silver:
- A walking lion marks all sterling silver made in England.
- A standing lion marks all sterling silver made in Glasgow.
- A thistle marks all sterling silver made in Edinburgh.
- A crowned harp marks all silver made in Dublin.
Can I stamp my own silver?
You can stamp your own work with a 925 stamp to say that it is made from sterling silver. However this does not act as a hallmark and hallmarking rules stated above still apply. You can only use a 925 stamp if your design uses genuine sterling silver.
Is Chester silver rare?
Silver marked with the full Chester city arms mark is very rare, the more familiar three wheat sheaf mark being introduced in 1779, and this fine looking Georgian period antique mug bears a clear example.
When did Chester stop assaying silver?
1962
Chester has a long history, dating back to medieval times of making beautiful and valuable objects. The City marked its silver with its own assay mark until 1962.
What is the London Assay Office Mark?
Assay office mark The assay office mark indicates the assay office that hallmarked the item. The leopard’s head signifies London, the anchor for Birmingham, the rose for Sheffield and the castle for Edinburgh.
What does 22 mean on a gold ring?
22 carat gold
In our example, you can see the ’22’ stamp, indicating 22 carat gold. The next mark tells us which assay office hallmarked the jewellery item.
What does a lion hallmark mean on gold?
Traditional fineness marks indicate the material used. These are optional parts of hallmarking. Common symbols include a crown for gold, a lion for silver, and an orb for platinum. Traditional fineness marks often found on antique jewelry in particular.
What does a lion hallmark mean on silver?
The appearance of the lion passant on an item of silver guarantees that the silver is at least 92.5% pure, which is the sterling standard. From 1697 to 1720 the standard was increased to 95.83% pure, also known as Britannia silver. A new mark, the figure of Britannia, was introduced to account for this.
Why is the Birmingham anchor silver?
Quite how the decision was made is unclear, but it was probably the toss of a coin which determined that Birmingham, in the heart of the country and miles from the sea, should adopt the Anchor as its hallmarking symbol, whilst Sheffield took the Crown (subsequently changed to the Rose).
What is the hallmark of the Edinburgh Assay Office?
As an Assay Office, our primary service is to guarantee the purity of precious metals by assaying and hallmarking articles of gold, silver, platinum and palladium in compliance with National and International regulations.
What is Birmingham Hall Mark?
Birmingham Hallmarks
Industrialists from both Birmingham and Sheffield petitioned Parliament to be allowed to establish assay facilities local to each town. This petition was successful and the Birmingham and Sheffield Assay Offices were established by Act of Parliament in 1773.
What does 750 mean on silver?
18 karat
Purity Markings
| Gold Purity Stamp | Purity | Purity |
|---|---|---|
| 750 | 18 karat (75.0%) | 96.8% pure silver |
| 916 | 22 karat (91.6%) | 99.9% pure silver |
| 990 | 24 karat (99.0%) | |
| 999 | 24 karat (99.9%) |
Which gold is hallmark?
BIS hallmarked 916 gold refers to purity grade of gold in the ornament or jewellery. That means purity is 91.6% -91.6 grams of pure gold per 100 grams of gold. Jewellers making BIS 916 gold ornaments are certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards.