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Metal & Hallmarking Guide
Choosing the right metal for your piece of jewellery is crucial to the design, feel, finish and price of each piece.
Platinum
Platinum is very durable and takes a fine polish that is relatively resistant to wear. It is naturally a greyish white and is often rhodium plated to make it even whiter. It requires a higher level of craftsmanship to work on. Platinum 950 is approximately 30% heavier than 18k gold. An item of jewellery made in platinum will feel noticeably heavier than the same item made in 18k gold.
Gold
Pure gold is yellow in colour, White gold is produced by mixing pure gold with white precious metals such as palladium or silver, or non-precious white metals, White gold is routinely electroplated with Rhodium for a bright white finish. This finish tends to wear off depending on the level of wear. Consumers should therefore note that white gold jewellery will require rhodium plating at variable intervals.
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Red or rose gold is created by increasing the amount of copper in the alloy.
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Many people believe that due to its higher purity and the inherent relative softness of the pure metal, that 18k gold is less durable than 9k gold. With modern alloy technology, 18k alloys are as durable as their 9k equivalents.
Hallmarking
Our Commitment to Hallmarking
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When it comes to manufacturing jewellery and silverware, precious metals (silver, palladium, gold and platinum) are rarely used in their purest form. Instead, they are usually alloyed with lesser metals to achieve a desired strength, durability, and colour.
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It is not possible to detect the precious metal content of an item by sight or by touch. It is, therefore, a legal requirement to have items consisting of silver, palladium, gold or platinum independently tested and then hallmarked before they can be described as such. Items must bear a hallmark at point of sale, subject to the following weight exemptions
Silver: mandatory for items above 7.78 grams; gold: mandatory for items above 1 gram; palladium: mandatory for items above 1 gram; platinum: mandatory for items above 0.5 grams.
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Pugata is registered with the Sheffield Assay Office ensuring our precious metal jewellery is compliant with the UK’s hallmarking regulations. All stock is subject to an internal confirmation process to ensure it meets the UK’s hallmarking regulations before it is dispatched to our customers.
(For articles that are below the UK hallmarking Act’s mandatory weight for hallmarking Pugata operates a separate due diligence process which involves periodic voluntary testing of items that fall below the mandatory weight to ensure they meet the minimum fineness requirement.)
To view our Assay Assured jewellery certification, please click HERE