Jewelry Hallmark Reference Guide

🇬🇧 UK & 🇪🇺 European Marks

This guide provides a comprehensive reference to UK and European jewelry hallmarks, including assay office symbols, fineness marks, and date letters. Designed for collectors, appraisers, and enthusiasts, it helps identify and date precious metal items with confidence. Whether you’re inspecting vintage gold, sterling silver, or platinum pieces, this resource offers practical tables, visual cues, and expert tips for personal use.

🏛 Assay Offices & Country Symbols

Symbol	Region	Meaning
🐆 Leopard Head	UK – London	Oldest UK office (est. 1300)
⚓ Anchor	UK – Birmingham	Industrial hallmark
🌹 Rose	UK – Sheffield	Yorkshire symbol
🏰 Castle	UK – Edinburgh	Scottish hallmark
🦅 Eagle Head	France	Gold hallmark (since 1838)
🐿 Squirrel	Switzerland	Gold/platinum (since 1934)
👑 Crown	Sweden	National control mark
🐘 Elephant	Denmark	Common Control Mark (CCM)
🛡 Shield+Letter	Austria	Metal type + CCM shield
🦁 Lion Rampant	Netherlands	Gold/silver with purity number

🔢 Fineness Marks

Mark	Metal	Purity Description
333	Gold	8ct (Europe only)
375	Gold	9ct
585	Gold	14ct
750	Gold	18ct
916	Gold	22ct
800	Silver	Continental silver
925	Silver	Sterling silver
950	Platinum	High purity platinum

🔠 Date Letters (UK Only)

Unique letter per year, varies by office
Font and border help identify year + location
Use Silver Makers Marks to decode

⚖️ Common Control Mark (CCM)

Symbol: Scales inside a circle
Used across EU/EFTA for standardization

🔗 UK Hallmark Resources

Assay Office London – Official guide to UK hallmarking, including symbols and standards.
Silver Makers Marks – Extensive database of date letters and maker’s marks by assay office.
BullionByPost Hallmark Guide – Clear charts for UK date letters and fineness marks.
The Assay Office Birmingham – Includes hallmarking history and educational tools.

🔗 European Hallmark Resources

Gold-Traders Hallmark Wizard – Interactive tool for UK and European hallmark identification.
Antique Jewellers Hallmark Finder – Visual search tool for UK and international marks.
Convention on the Control of Precious Metal Articles (Vienna Convention) – Details on the Common Control Mark (CCM) used across Europe.
DSF Antique Jewelry Blog – Guides to French, Swiss, and other European hallmarks.