HALLMARK

The hallmark is an official stamp on an item of precious metal certifying the content of pure metal in the alloy and serving as a guarantee from the state or an assay office. Since pure gold or silver is too soft for everyday wear, it is alloyed with other metals, and the hallmark shows how much precious metal is in the alloy (for example, 585 gold is 58.5% pure gold). The hallmark protects the buyer from fakes and understatement. Historically the system of assay control took shape as far back as the Middle Ages, and the small stamp on the back of a piece is in fact a whole history of trust and quality. Checking the hallmark is the first step when buying jewellery.