Selling handmade jewellery in the UK: which hallmarks?

A silversmith can have a finished pendant, good photographs and an interested customer while still having one decision unresolved: can the item be offered as silver yet? Start with that decision rather than the marketplace account. Your listing, the physical piece and your workshop record should tell the same story. This guide addresses UK precious-metal descriptions and hallmark preparation, with a separate transport calculation for planning; it does not treat every handmade accessory as a precious-metal article.

Can I sell handmade jewellery without a hallmark? #

The British Hallmarking Council summary explains that UK sales of articles described as precious metal require a recognised hallmark unless an exemption applies. The relevant question is what you are offering and how you describe it. A bead bracelet, a silver ring and a gold-plated base-metal charm do not become the same product merely because one person made them at a kitchen table.

Consider two illustrative all-silver designs weighing 6 g and 9 g. The first is below the silver weight threshold; the second is above it. That comparison says nothing about whether your own metal claim is accurate, or whether another exemption or construction rule is relevant. Keep the measurement with the product reference and ask an Assay Office about uncertain cases. Do not round a borderline measurement down to obtain the result you wanted.

Is a 925 stamp enough for handmade silver jewellery? #

No: a fineness number is only one element. The Council identifies three compulsory marks and makes the date letter optional. A maker stamp on its own is also incomplete. Use photographs that let you distinguish the actual components on the item. An enlarged picture of a number is useful evidence of that number, but it cannot demonstrate an Assay Office mark that is absent from the piece.

Build a small image set for each marked design: the whole object, the location of the marks and a close view. Link it to the finished item rather than keeping a general photo called silver hallmark. This is a suggested workshop record, not an extra statutory photography requirement. It helps when a buyer asks why one pendant has a date letter and another does not, or when you need to distinguish a remake from the original.

Avoid putting a hallmark photograph from your heaviest design on every product page. A customer seeing that photograph may reasonably associate it with the particular item they are buying. If an item is weight-exempt, describe its status accurately rather than borrowing the appearance of an independently tested piece. Product copy should explain your actual item, not the best documented example anywhere in your collection.

What should I ask an Assay Office before listing a new design? #

The official practical guidance collection covers subjects that a basic weight table cannot settle: mixed precious metals, combinations with other materials, plating and exemptions. Prepare a concise description of the construction before asking for advice. A photo alone may not show the material underneath a plated surface or the way a component is attached. Include the question you need answered, such as how the finished item should be described.

1. 1

   Identify the exact piece

   Record metal specifications, suppliers, finished weight and the components present. Separate an all-silver article from a plated or mixed-metal construction.

2. 2

   Resolve the description

   Compare the intended wording with the detailed guidance. Ask the Assay Office about any construction or exemption you cannot establish.

3. 3

   Plan the marking stage

   Confirm the submission process and suitable marking position with the office. Obtain its actual charges and timing rather than promising an invented turnaround.

4. 4

   Release the correct item

   Match the returned piece, mark photographs and workshop reference before making that version available for sale.

Treat a heavier size, a new metal combination or a changed finish as a reason to revisit the record. You need not rebuild every administrative document whenever a ribbon colour changes. Concentrate on alterations that could change the material description, exemption assessment or evidence attached to the item. A one-page design record can make those alterations visible without turning a small workshop into a paperwork exercise.

Does an online jewellery shop need a Dealers Notice? #

The Council’s business compliance guidance says precious-metal dealers must display the notice and explains online formats. Dealers Notice B is available as a PDF or short film for online retail settings. Use the official notice and follow the guidance for its presentation. An informal sentence saying all our jewellery is genuine is not the same information as a notice explaining the recognised marks.

Look at your shop from the route a buyer actually takes. Someone arriving directly on a pendant page may never open your studio biography. Check how the notice is reached from that page, and whether a customer using a phone can read the information. If you use a marketplace as well as your own website, check that marketplace’s available presentation options separately; a link on one storefront does not automatically appear on the other.

Keep product details and the notice doing different jobs. The notice explains the system; your listing explains this article. State the materials and relevant item details clearly, then retain the record that supports them. Resist copying claims such as fully certified across a whole collection when different products have different marking status. Specific information is easier for a buyer to understand and easier for you to maintain.

Can I use the same jewellery listing for customers in Europe? #

The UK guidance on hallmarking and the EU warns that UK exemption weights may not apply in other countries. It also distinguishes recognised Convention marks from assumptions about foreign national marks. A UK weight-exempt silver piece does not automatically have the same status in every destination. Decide where you want to sell before promising a single European product policy.

Make a destination review specific to your actual range. Record the destination, metal, weight band, marks present and official information used. Where a question remains unresolved, hold that destination option rather than treating the UK conclusion as universal. This is especially useful for a collection containing both very light earrings and substantially heavier pendants: a country name in a shipping dropdown hides those differences unless your own records expose them.

Transporting stock to a person near the customer does not determine the legal precious-metal description. The item still needs the appropriate review for its market. For the separate information required when goods cross a customs boundary, use the existing UK–EU commercial invoice checklist. Keep hallmark evidence distinct from transport paperwork so that neither document is mistaken for the other.

How much should I budget to dispatch a small handmade order? #

AirPost’s carrier-only rate index, retrieved on 10 October 2026, showed €2.96 for a generic 2 kg UK-to-UK standard-service minimum. The index publishes this in euros, not as a sterling quotation. It does not establish that the cheapest service accepts your precious-metal article or offers appropriate compensation. Use it as a planning input only after checking the actual carrier’s jewellery conditions.

For an illustrative eligible small-parcel order, add the platform fee of €0.85 and the recommended preparation fee of €2.25: €2.96 + €0.85 + €2.25 = €6.06. The sender sets the preparation fee; the recommendation is not a fixed jewellery service price. Packaging, hallmarking, stock transport and any suitable enhanced delivery option are outside this calculation. Record those costs separately before deciding what the customer pays.

A presentation box is part of the product experience, but check the packed parcel rather than weighing the pendant alone. Keep the item reference visible in the preparation instructions while avoiding an obvious valuables description on the outer box. Before handing over a batch, agree which item goes with each order and how the piece should be immobilised. These are practical handling suggestions, not a promise of insurance or carrier acceptance.

When does local packing make sense for a jewellery maker? #

The AirPost fulfilment model connects a shop with people near its customers who pack and drop off orders. For repeat designs, prepare a clear item list and packing example before moving stock. For a single bespoke ring that still needs final inspection, assess whether an additional handover actually saves work. Your decision should account for checking and stock movement, not just the small outbound parcel.