Our maker’s mark is ‘AL’ for ‘Arabel Lebrusan’. In addition to this legally required hallmark, jewellery must bear a purity mark (which consists of a two-digit numbers and the letter k, or a three-digit number) and a maker’s mark (which could be nearly anything, but is often initials or a logo). The leopard’s head is proudly displayed on most Lebrusan Studio jewels as an indication of their Hatton Garden provenance.

The possible Assay Office marks are an anchor for Birmingham, a castle for Edinburgh, a rose for Sheffield, and a leopard’s head for London. The mark made depends on which of the four Assay Offices the piece was sent to, but the presence of the mark itself verifies that the piece was proven to contain the volume of precious metal that the jeweller advertised.

Today, it’s more common that lasers are used to etch the mark into the piece. Historically, hallmarks in the UK were made by punching the mark into the metal with force. Every piece of jewellery made from precious metal and sold in the UK must be sent to one of four Assay Offices, where government employees test each piece for its precious metal percentage and stamp them with the relevant hallmarks. The UK holds some of the strictest hallmarking laws in the world. This is called hallmarking, and whilst it’s standard practise here in the UK, it’s not actually mandatory everywhere in the world. In many countries, it’s a legal requirement to brand jewellery with a mark that verifies the percentage of precious metal present. Rhodium, for example, raises melting point and increases hardness, and often makes the platinum alloy appear brighter and whiter. That’s why the most common type of platinum jewel is 95% pure platinum and 5% other metals that add critical technical properties. Most jewellers combine (or ‘alloy’) precious metals with other metals in order to increase durability, make the metal easier to work with or make the finished jewel more wearable.įor example, many people are surprised to learn that platinum in its pure state is soft and unsuitable for creating jewellery. It’s very rare that a piece of jewellery is cast using 100% precious metal.

Antique gold ring no hallmark