no hallmark on wedding ring

northern_star

Eek. Have only just realised my wedding ring has no hallmark! We got married 9 weeks ago and bought the rings from a small independent jeweller a few weeks before that. I never noticed there was no hallmark. It's supposed to be 9ct yellow gold, court style - which means its bevelled on the inside for comfort. Is this why there is no hallmark? I'm off to check the receipt now to see if it says 9ct gold. Has anyone come across this before?

Jem8472

As far as I know it should have a hallmark. Unless it is tiny and a hallmark could not fit on it.

MrsTinks

They should have sent it off to be hallmarked if it was custom made - ours had to be - and if it's a standard ring then it should surely have been done unless as Jem says it's too narrow for a hallmark...

floss2

It will need to be assayed at the nearest Assay Office - I think they are Edinburgh, London, Birmingham & Cardiff (?). Then it will get their hallmark with the date mark to confirm the gold quality.

I would take it back with your receipt & ask for it to be done. Until then, although very valuable to you & your OH, it's metal is as valuable as a piece of tinfoil, as there is no mark to certify the gold content.

northern_star

Thanks everyone. I have checked the receipt and it says '9ct gold wedding ring' so will definitely be taking it back and asking them to explain . We don't know if OH's has a hallmark as he doesn't want to take it off to check (never wants to remove it - ahhh). Not sure what they will say, or what we will do - I really don't want to be without it while its sent off to be hallmarked - it's not custom-made or anything simply one from their stock but its the one we chose together and, more importantly, the one we were married with. But, as earlier poster said, without a hallmark its just 'metal' (sentimental value aside).Will update after visiting the jeweller.

catwoman150

It could be beacuse it was not made in the UK. Has it got any marks on the inside? Some other place have different hallmarks I think any way.

MoaningMyrtle

I have one that looks gold, it's a band ring, but it is actually brass, so you should take it back. Your husband should too, if you purchased them from the same shop.

floss2

catwoman150 wrote: »

It could be beacuse it was not made in the UK. Has it got any marks on the inside? Some other place have different hallmarks I think any way.

It should still be assayed on import - otherwise it could be made of any metal & not have the correct gold content for 9, 18 or 24 carat.

Have a look at this - may be worth printing the first couple of paragraphs out for the retailer, especially the bit about the possible sentence..... http://www.thegoldsmiths.co.uk/assayoffice/currenthallmarks.htm

Mips

I do believe some very old rings didn't have Hallmarks...

vivatifosi

I have a really old 22 ct ring that isn't hallmarked (I think it rubbed off as the band thinned rather than not being there), but for a new ring this is really bad practice. I would contact Trading Standards and ask their advice. You can't sell something as basic as a 9ct court ring, which no disrespect to you is about as bog standard as jewellery gets, without a hallmark - that's terrible!

Does the ring have any weight to it? A court ring should have a bit of weight to it and as a result should weigh substantially over the minimum of 1g that needs to be hallmarked. Other than the ring above I don't have any that aren't hallmarked, even the little thin ones, and court rings are way chunkier than that (unless of course it is hollow, wax centred or gold plated, in which case it should have been sold as such).