Hallmark

Todays Blip is in response to a shot taken by 42.

It is part of the Edinburgh Assay Office hallmark on a pendant I own and is now part of history of Scottish hallmarking.

Until April 2008 it was not legal to hallmark items which mixed noble and ignoble metals (which this is ...............silver and niobium).
However - the guy who made this had been creating and kicking up stink for years (niobium is after all more expensive than gold and silver weight for weight). Shortly before the law was changed I was asked if I still wanted it hallmarked .............silly question really ........as the Assay Office were willing to mark this as the first piece.
So I returned the piece to the maker and it was duly hallmarked - the first mixed metal hallmarked item.

EDIT

For those blippers not familiar with hallmarking


Hallmarking is where the purity of the gold, silver or platignum is assessed and then stamped into the item.
Each of the stamps has a meaning - they can be seen Here a bit clearer.

What they mean is (woking down)...........

Makers mark (James Bent Ward in this case

Sterling silver (925 parts of silver per 1000)

Scottish Assay Office (The Lion Rampant)

Edinburgh Office (last of the Scottish ones)

Year of Assay (h = 2008)


The maker (James Brent Ward) also designed the 6 Nations Rugby Tournament trophy ................ just as an aside