The International Association of Assay Offices

1. Country: Norway

2. Summary of hallmarking system:

Hallmarking is a compulsory state requirement.

3. Ministry responsible:

4. Contact Point for Hallmarking Information:

5. Other representative bodies:

6. Assay Offices:

7. Typical mark formation:

8. Sponsor mark details:

9. Finenesses accepted and fineness mark details:

• Gold

Hallmarking is required for gold articles above 1 g

 

• Silver

Hallmarking is required for silver articles above 7.78 g

 

• Platinum

Hallmarking is required for platinum articles above 0.5 g

• Palladium

Hallmarking is required for palladium articles above 1 g

• Other metals

• Mixtures of precious metals and other metals and materials

10. Hallmarks accepted from other countries:

(i) Convention hallmarks

(ii) National hallmarks – requirements

(iii) National hallmarks – EEA countries accepted

11. Other IAAO observers in country

1. Country: Spain

2. Summary of hallmarking system:

Hallmarking is a compulsory state requiremet carried out according to the Law 17/1985, and developed by the R.D. 197/1988:
• Law 17/1985 of 01.07.1985 (BOE of 03.07.1985), it regulates the manufacture, traffic and commercialization of objects elaborated with precious metals, the national legislation brings other countries near to, contrast and marked with the objects, laboratories authorized by the tests and hallmarkinh, requirements for the commercialization of the interior products and of the foreigner, competitions, infractions and sanctions. Affected by several dispositions.

• R.D. 197/1988 of 22.02.1988 (BOE of 10.03.1988), It regulates of the Law 17/1985: obligation of the contrast: identification of origin and guarantee, type of laboratories of contrastación: requirements, tests and analysis of these objects, types of manufacturers, technical requirements for the manufacture: materials, regulation of the commercial establishments: presentation of the products, exterior trade: import and export, trade of the precious secondhand metals, infractions and sanctions.

• Order of 15.12.1988 (DOGC of 23.12.1988), application in Catalonia of the Law 17/1985: inscription to the record of the brand of contrast of origin of the manufacturers or importers: documentation, official and authorized laboratories: functions, technical and human means, authorization, validity, rates and tests, contrasts, official laws. Affected on order of 09.10.1989.

• Order of 11.02.2000 by which the annexe I is modified of the RD 1406/1989 of 10 November by which limitations are imposed to the commercialization and you of certain substances and prepared dangerous (nickel and his components).

3. Ministry responsible:

4. Contact Point for Hallmarking Information:

5. Other representative bodies:

6. Assay Offices:

7. Typical mark formation:

They have to be commercialized by the following marks:
1. Mark of guarantee:
It accredits the alloy of the metal and only she can be put by the Official or Authorized Laboratories of the Autonomous Communities (annexe I and mark of guarantee) accrediting the official law of the precious metal:Platinum: 950 fineness (ppt), Au first law: 750 fineness (ppt), Au second law: 585 fineness (ppt), Silver first law: 925 fineness (ppt), Silver second law: 800 fineness (ppt).
2. Mark of identification of origin: It accredits to the person or company that has made and / or imported the object destined for the commercialization inside the Spanish territory. This mark has to be registered to the Spanish Office of Patents and Marks and can be of free design, on condition of not being does not surround by any geometric figure nor have a measure superior to that of the brands of guarantee.

When an object could not be marked for his weight or for his special characteristics, it will have to take welded a plate or hooked a label with the marks of guarantee and of identification of origin for his commercialization. These plates and substitute labels are facilitated by the Official Laboratories.

8. Sponsor mark details:

9. Finenesses accepted and fineness mark details:

• Gold

Hallmarking is required for gold articles above 1 g

 

• Silver

Hallmarking is required for silver articles above 1.5 g

 

• Platinum

Hallmarking is required for platinum articles above 0.5 g

• Palladium

Hallmarking is required for palladium articles above 1 g

• Other metals

• Mixtures of precious metals and other metals and materials

Allowed but technical restrictions apply.

10. Hallmarks accepted from other countries:

(i) Convention hallmarks

Member of International Convention

(ii) National hallmarks – requirements

(iii) National hallmarks – EEA countries accepted

11. Other IAAO observers in country

None.

1. Country: Ireland

2. Summary of hallmarking system:

Hallmarking is a compulsory state requirement.

3. Ministry responsible:

4. Contact Point for Hallmarking Information:

5. Other representative bodies:

6. Assay Offices:

7. Typical mark formation:

8. Sponsor mark details:

9. Finenesses accepted and fineness mark details:

• Gold

No weight exemption

 

• Silver

No weight exemption

 

• Platinum

No weight exemption

• Palladium

No weight exemption

• Other metals

• Mixtures of precious metals and other metals and materials

10. Hallmarks accepted from other countries:

(i) Convention hallmarks

(ii) National hallmarks – requirements

(iii) National hallmarks – EEA countries accepted

11. Other IAAO observers in country

1. Country: Latvia

2. Summary of hallmarking system:

Hallmarking is a compulsory state requirement.

3. Ministry responsible:

4. Contact Point for Hallmarking Information:

5. Other representative bodies:

6. Assay Offices:

7. Typical mark formation:

Woman’s head and number of the fineness in parts per thousand.

8. Sponsor mark details:

The Sponsor’s mark may be any combination of characters and/or pictograms in free form of shape. Sponsor‘s mark shall not be similar to other sponsors marks, to hallmarks – domestic or foreign, to fineness marks in different systems of finenesses and to designations of precious metals and abbreviations of them.

9. Finenesses accepted and fineness mark details:

• Gold

Hallmarking is required for gold articles above 0 g

 

• Silver

Hallmarking is required for silver articles above 0 g

 

• Platinum

Hallmarking is required for platinum articles above 0.5 g

• Palladium

Hallmarking is required for palladium articles above 1 g

• Other metals

For designation of base metal parts in article of precious metal

• Mixtures of precious metals and other metals and materials

Yes

10. Hallmarks accepted from other countries:

(i) Convention hallmarks

Member of International Convention.

(ii) National hallmarks – EEA countries accepted

1. Country: Switzerland

2. Summary of hallmarking system:

State.

All watch-cases in gold, silver, platinum or palladium, of foreign or local manufacture, sold in Switzerland, are subject to control and compulsory official marking.

For watch-cases composed of precious metals and base metals (multimetals) official hallmarking is voluntary.

Apart from watch-cases, that is for all other precious metal articles, and multimetal goods, the control procedure is voluntary.

A single official hallmark will be used for all precious metals and all fineness standards, the "head of a St. Bernhard dog":

The Legal Bases are:

• The Precious Metals Control Act of 20th June 1933 www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/c941_31.html
• The Precious Metals Control Ordinance of 8th May 1933 www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/c941_311.html
• The Precious Metals Control Instructions of 1st May 2010 PMCI, D243

3. Ministry responsible:

4. Contact Point for Hallmarking Information:

5. Other representative bodies:

6. Assay Offices:

Name and contact details	Mark	Member IAAO
Edelmetallkontrolle Basel Post-Passage 5 Basel CH-4002 Switzerland Tel: +41 61 201 22 33 / 40 / 41 Fax: +41 61 201 22 35 E-mail: patrick.eichenberger@ezv.admin.ch Web Site: www.swissassay.admin.ch		No
Edelmetallkontrolle Basel / Contrôle métaux précieux Bâle DA Biel/Bienne / Subdivision Biel/Bienne Schwanengasse 50a / Rue des Cygnes 50a – P.O. Box 3512 Biel/Bienne 3 CH-2500 Switzerland Tel: +41 32 366 70 16 Fax: +41 32 366 70 17 E-mail: eichenberger@ezv.admin.ch Web Site: www.swissassay.admin.ch		No
Contrôle des métaux précieux Bâle Subdivision Le Noirmont Rue du Doubs 9 Le Noirmont CH-2340 Switzerland Tel: +41 32 957 66 88 Fax: +41 32 957 66 80 E-mail: paul-andre.amez-droz@ezv.admin.ch Web Site: www.swissassay.admin.ch		No
Controllo dei metalli preziosi Chiasso Via Giuseppe-Motta 22 Chiasso CH-6830 Switzerland Tel: +41 91 695 55 80 / 81 / 82 Fax: +41 91 695 55 89 E-mail: massimo.tela@ezv.admin.ch Web Site: www.swissassay.admin.ch		No
Contrôle des métaux précieux Genève Rue des Gares 12 Case postale 2294 Genève 2 Cornavin CH-1211 Switzerland Tel: +41 22 748 28 28 / 20 Fax: +41 22 748 28 29 E-mail: fabrice.schafer@ezv.admin.ch Web Site: www.swissassay.admin.ch		No
Edelmetallkontrolle Zürich Molkenstrasse 8 Zürich CH-8026 Switzerland Tel: +41 44 245 82 41 / 42 / 43 Fax: +41 44 245 82 49 E-mail: thomas.kohler@ezv.admin.ch Web Site: www.swissassay.admin.ch		No
Bureau cantonal du contrôle des ouvrages en métaux précieux Avenue Léopold-Robert 67 La Chaux-de-Fonds CH-2300 Switzerland Tel: +41 32 913 75 65 Fax: +41 32 913 75 91 E-mail: pierre.hirsig@ezv.admin.ch Web Site: www.swissassay.admin.ch		No

7. Typical mark formation:

A legal hallmark on watch-cases in Switzerland comprises three marks:
(I) A responsibility mark (sponsor’s mark).
(II) A millesimal standard of fineness mark.
(III) The official Swiss Hallmark (compulsory).

A legal hallmark on other articles than watch-cases in Switzerland comprises three marks:
(I) A responsibility mark (sponsor’s mark).
(II) A millesimal standard of fineness mark.
(III) The official Swiss Hallmark (optional).

8. Sponsor mark details:

Precious metal articles, multimetal articles and plated articles sold in Switzerland must bear a responsibility mark (RM) registered at the Central Office for Precious Metals Control in Berne. The register contains about 15.000 RM registered by Swiss or foreign companies; it is public and anyone can ask for information with regard to a specific mark.

One might compare the RM with a signature; by striking his mark the owner vouches for the accuracy of the article’s composition and accepts the consequences of any further dispute.

There are few binding provisions concerning the shape and the appearance of the RM; however, it may not be confounded with official hallmarks, it should not be similar or identical to other already registered RMs, to registered trade marks or brand names, or to the abbreviations of international organizations.

9. Finenesses accepted and fineness mark details:

• Gold

Fineness (ppt)	Symbol	Traditional symbol
375		The standard of fineness is expressed in parts per thousand (‰) in relation to the total mass of the alloy concerned. Other finenesses are not accepted for the Swiss market except for medals.
585
750
916
999

 

• Silver

Fineness (ppt)	Symbol	Traditional symbol
800		The standard of fineness is expressed in parts per thousand (‰) in relation to the total mass of the alloy concerned. Other finenesses are not accepted for the Swiss market except for medals.
925
999

 

• Platinum

• Palladium

• Other metals

• Mixtures of precious metals and other metals and materials

Mixed articles (2 or more precious metals) can only be placed on the market if they bear the fineness mark of each constituting precious metal.

If the precious metal composing an article are clearly distinguished by their colour, their fineness must be marked on each precious metal part.
One responsibility mark is sufficient for each article.

When technical or aesthetic reasons exclude the marking of one of the precious met-als, it may be applied on the other. In this case the marking must be completed by the name or the chemical symbol of the concerned metals, i.e. "Ag 925/Au 750". The metal predominant in volume must be mentioned first.

If precious metals are not identifiable by their colour, only the fineness of the least precious metal may be marked. Precious metals are deemed to become more pre-cious in the following order: silver, palladium, gold, platinum.

Multimetal articles as such (precious metal combined with base metal) can only be put on the market if they satisfy the composition requirements and bear the neces-sary designations.

The different metals of multimetal articles must have a difference of colours suffi-ciently clear and the marking of the article sufficiently explicit to exclude any danger of confusion.

The precious and base metal parts of multimetal articles must bear separate marks:
- precious metal parts: fineness and responsibility mark;
- base metal parts: the specific indication of the metal or the word "METAL".

If technical or aesthetic reasons prevent marking on one part, it can be put on another one. In this case the fineness mark must be associated with the name or the chemical symbol of the concerned metal such as "GOLD 750/TITAN" or "STEEL/Ag 925". The metal predominant in volume must be mentioned first

10. Hallmarks accepted from other countries:

Convention hallmarks

Member of International Convention

National hallmarks – EEA countries accepted:

• Austria (AU)
• France (FR)
• Spain (ES)

Other countries accepted:

Following bilateral and multilateral conventions have been signed between different States and Switzerland so that their hallmarks can be accepted at certain conditions.

(I) Vienna Convention (Common Control Mark)
Switzerland is a signatory to The Vienna Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals and thus accepts items bearing Convention hallmarks.
Further information: www.hallmarkingconvention.org

(II) Bilateral Convention Switzerland-France
Mutual recognition of official hallmarks by both countries, eliminate a double control of articles. It is not necessary to register the responsibility mark in the country of destina-tion.
Further information (in German, French or Italian): www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/c0_941_334_91.html

(III) Bilateral Convention Switzerland-Spain
Mutual recognition of the official hallmarks on watch-cases and their accessory parts (for example watch bracelets).
Further information (in German, French or Italian):
www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/c0_941_333_2.html

(IV) Bilateral Convention Switzerland-Austria
Mutual recognition of the official hallmarks on watch-cases.
Further information (in German, French or Italian):
www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/c0_941_316_3.html

(V) Bilateral Convention Switzerland-Italy
Swiss articles with an official hallmark need not bear the identification mark of the im-porter as required by the Italian act; in exchange the Italian maker’s identification mark is recognized as a responsibility mark in Switzerland. Watch-cases with Italian identification marks are not subject to the compulsory official hallmarking.
Further information (in German, French or Italian): www.admin.ch/ch/d/sr/c0_941_345_4.html

11. Other IAAO observers in country

None.

12. Other information:

Concern: "National hallmarks – EEA countries accepted": only at certain conditions and not for all precious metals articles (see under "Other countries accepted")

1. Country: Israel

2. Summary of hallmarking system:

Hallmarking of gold articles is a compulsory state requirement.Hallmarking of other precious metals (Silver and Platinum)are voluntary. There is no standard covering palladium articles (yet). One main assay office have been appointed to carry out the hallmarking located in the beautiful city of Tel Aviv which is a branch of the SII (The Standard Instiution of Israel).

3. Ministry responsible:

4. Contact Point for Hallmarking Information:

5. Other representative bodies:

6. Assay Offices:

7. Typical mark formation:

A legal hallmark in Israel comprises three marks:

(i) A sponsor’s mark.
(ii) A fineness mark.
(iii) An assay office mark.

The Israeli assay office keeps its own list of registered sponsor’s marks. The sponsor’s mark most often comprises the initials of the customer. A range of shield designs are available to distinguish between sponsors who have the same initials.

8. Sponsor mark details:

9. Finenesses accepted and fineness mark details:

• Gold

Hallmarking is required for gold articles above 2 g

 

• Silver

Hallmarking is required for silver articles above 0 g

 

• Platinum

Hallmarking is required for platinum articles above 0 g

• Mixtures of precious metals and other metals and materials

Allowed but technical restrictions apply.

10. Hallmarks accepted from other countries:

Convention hallmarks

Member of International Convention

11. Other IAAO observers in country

No.

12. Other information:

Israel is a signatory to The Vienna Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals and thus accepts items bearing Convention hallmarks.

2. Summary of hallmarking system:

Hallmarking is a compulsory state requirement.
 
3. Ministry responsible:

4. Contact Point for Hallmarking Information:

5. Other representative bodies:

6. Assay Offices:

Name and contact details	Mark	Member IAAO
Puncovy urad SR Medena 10 Bratislava 814 56 Slovakia Tel: +421 2 5296 7055 E-mail: pusr@puncurad.gov.sk Web Site: www.puncovyurad.sk		Yes

7. Typical mark formation:

This combination is used for domestic goods:

This combination is used for imported goods:

8. Sponsor mark details:

Usually a rectangular shape with two or three letters. Letters can be separated by dot or dash sign. Used by domestic producers.

Typical shape with two letters. Used by importers.

9. Finenesses accepted and fineness mark details:

• Gold

Hallmarking is required for gold articles above 0,5 g

Fineness (ppt)	Symbol	Traditional symbol
585
750
900
986
999

 
• Silver

Hallmarking is required for silver articles above 3.0 g

Fineness (ppt)	Symbol	Traditional symbol
800
835
900
925
990
999

 
• Platinum

Hallmarking is required for platinum articles above 0g

Fineness (ppt)	Symbol	Traditional symbol
800
850
900
950
999

• Mixtures of precious metals and other metals and materials

Yes

10. Hallmarks accepted from other countries:

(i) Convention hallmarks: Member of International Convention 

(ii) National hallmarks – EEA countries accepted

11. Other IAAO observers in country

None.

1. Country: United Kingdom

2. Summary of hallmarking system:

Hallmarking is a compulsory state requirement carried out according to the 1973 UK Hallmarking Act and subsequent amendments. Four assay offices have been appointed to carry out the hallmarking. The assay offices are privately owned, self-funded institutions.

3. Ministry responsible:

4. Contact Point for Hallmarking Information:

5. Other representative bodies:

6. Assay Offices:

7. Typical mark formation:

A legal hallmark in the United Kingdom comprises three marks:

(i) A sponsor’s mark.
(ii) A millesimal fineness mark.
(iii) An assay office mark.

Example:

Sponsor’s mark Fineness mark Assay office mark

Voluntary marks are sometimes applied in addition to the compulsory marks above. These include:

(iv) A date letter to indicate the year of marking; the date letter changes on 1st January each year.

(v) The traditional symbols for fineness, e.g. a lion passant for sterling silver.

(vi) Commemorative marks, e.g. millennium mark.

Example:

8. Sponsor mark details:

Each assay office keeps its own list of registered sponsor’s marks; there is no central registry. The sponsor’s mark comprises the initials of the customer in a shield design. A range of shield designs are available to distinguish between sponsors who have the same initials. The designs are unique to each assay office.

Example:

Shield

9. Finenesses accepted and fineness mark details:

• Gold

Hallmarking is required for gold articles above 1 g

 

• Silver

Hallmarking is required for silver articles above 7.78 g

Fineness (ppt)	Symbol	Traditional symbol
800
925
958
999

 

• Platinum

Hallmarking is required for platinum articles above 0.5 g

• Palladium

Hallmarking is required for palladium articles above 1 g

• Other metals

• Mixtures of precious metals and other metals and materials

Allowed but technical restrictions apply.

10. Hallmarks accepted from other countries:

(i) Convention hallmarks

The United Kingdon is a signatory to The Vienna Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals and thus accepts items bearing Convention hallmarks.

(ii) National hallmarks – requirements

The United Kingdom accepts national hallmarks from other countries as part of the Houtwipper ruling. The marks must be intelligible and equivalent. The definition of equivalence essentially follows the guidelines outlined by the Hallmarking Convention, bearing in mind that the United Kingdom uses additional finenesses.

(iii) National hallmarks – EEA countries accepted

11. Other IAAO observers in country

None.