Our History
Silver, gold, and platinum must be assayed and independently hallmarked by one of the four approved UK Assay Offices to guarantee the quality of precious metal before it can be sold to the public. The Assay Office in Edinburgh, the only one in Scotland, is an independent, privately funded business, owned by the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh.
A brief History
There were goldsmiths in many Scottish towns in the Middle Ages but only in Edinburgh were there enough to form their own trade incorporation during the 15th century. They regulated their own affairs and were also responsible for protecting their customers from fraud. In particular, they had to ensure that the purity of the precious metals used were of the correct standard.
Hallmarking is the oldest form of consumer protection and it is as important now as it was over 500 years ago when it was introduced in Scotland. The three-towered castle is the ancient hallmark of the Edinburgh Assay Office and has been required by Parliament since 1485. It represents the quality, strength and durability of the nation and of her goldsmiths work in the precious metals. The practice of applying a hallmark to guarantee precious metal purity can be traced back, in Edinburgh, as far as 1457 when the first surviving Act of Parliament was passed on the subject. As such, the Incorporation of Goldsmiths is the oldest consumer protection group in Scotland.
In 1681 the Deacon of the Incorporation appointed the first Assay Master to oversee the running of the Assay Office and in the same year the Assay Office began the practice of applying a letter of the alphabet as part of the hallmark, to denote the year in which an item was marked. In 1687 James VII granted the Incorporation its Royal Charter.
Today
Since the modern Hallmarking Act of 1973 (amended in 1999) all gold, platinum and silverwares (not exempted by the 1973 Act) must be assayed and hallmarked by an approved UK Assay Office. Altogether there are four offices in the UK based in Edinburgh, London, Birmingham, and Sheffield.
Although the Edinburgh office is the smallest UK Assay Offices we believe this Puts us at a distinct advantage. We believe that small is not only beautiful, it's also more flexible, easier to deal with, more careful and most importantly more personable.
The Castle and Lion Rampant hallmarks are highly regarded as a guarantee of quality and confidence and at an international level they are powerful marketing tools, particularly in Japan and the USA.
Technological developments in the creation and application of the hallmark are racing ahead faster now than at any other time in history - from the latest non-contact laser marking to the continued developments in traditional hand-marking techniques, for which there is still a high demand.
The Assay Office Scotland has been acknowledged by it's customers as the Assay Office of choice, winning UK industry awards for its customer service and the quality of its workmanship. The current Assay Master is Scott Walter, and he is justifiably proud of the organisation's long history and heritage, but he is focused very much on leading the Assay Office forward into the 21st centaury. "One of the most important jobs I have within the Assay Office is to ensure that everyone in our team knows what we, as an organisation, are trying to achieve. The people that are doing the job can make it or break it for an organisation"
A wealth of experienced jewellers are included amongst the highly trained and motivated staff, and their knowledge and understanding of the product ensures the highest level of care is taken with all manufacturers' silver, gold, and platinum.
Our business philosophy is "keep it simple". By keeping it simple we find that things work better, that way we can spend more time and energy on the job in hand.