Hallmarking

Discussion in 'Suggestions & Feedback' started by Youknowwho4eva, Sep 23, 2014.

  1. Youknowwho4eva
    Youknowwho4eva Well-Known Member
    New thread for hallmarking discussion.
     
  2. janecreating
    janecreating Member
    Well, approving the type of gold by hallmarking it this is not "modifying the design"! When you as a producer of the item ( 3d printing, casting, final finishing and sending to the end client) put the hallmark of 14 k gold, you approve that it is indeed 14k gold as you stated on the site.

    Hallmarking using laser can be so small that can fit all the jewelry in the world you Shapeways is not an exception. It just takes an additional workforce, technical equipment and time.

    Let's say you cannot do this by any kind of reason at the moment. At least you should inform the client that the gold jewelry will not contain hallmark of the karats. Since it is one big disappointment for the client when gets it without hallmarks.
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2014
  3. JACANT
    JACANT Well-Known Member
    The UK has had laws relating to the compulsory, independent hallmarking of Gold and Silver products for over 700 years. These laws have an impact on anyone selling products into or within the UK. The following is intended as an overview of the situation and the implications for the supplier. The basic starting point is that products made from Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium, have to be independently hallmarked before being placed on the market and described as such. Palladium hallmarking became compulsory on January 1st 2010.

     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Sep 23, 2014
  4. numarul7
    numarul7 Well-Known Member
    Everybody waiting for the dream team.

    DreamTeam.JPG

    :D
     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2014
  5. SavIsSavvy
    SavIsSavvy Member
    Hi all,

    Thanks for the feedback here- I've flagged it to our materials team who should be chiming in.

    Best,
    Savannah
     
  6. 7943_deleted
    7943_deleted Member
    Hey guys,

    Here's the answer when we discussed this a few months ago:

    Re hallmarking Silver and Gold - this varies quite a lot between countries. In the UK, in order to sell jewelry, you must get a hallmark register with the Goldsmiths Hall, and all your pieces must be assayed (tested for metal content) by the Hall who hallmark them for you before you may sell them publicly. (I know, I registered when I lived in London and it takes ages to get your jewelry back!! )

    In the USA, no such restrictions apply, and as a jeweler, you are free to apply a hallmark yourself. We as Shapeways don't hallmark our silver or gold because that would mean altering your design, and that's against our terms and conditions that we promise to you.

    You are free to apply a hallmark to your metal just as you are free to add earring hooks, chains or your own packaging to your designs.

    Cheers,
    Natalia

    Now, I understand that some customers EXPECT to get jewelry with a hallmark as a sign of its purity, and assurance that they are indeed getting real gold or platinum. If this is something you guys want, then this is something we need to figure out with our materials team -- and we'll keep you posted!

     
    Last edited: Sep 23, 2014
  7. AmLachDesigns
    AmLachDesigns Well-Known Member
    So to repeat my question from the other thread all those months ago, how do you (SW) sell to the UK (for example) without hallmarking?

     
  8. barkingdigger
    barkingdigger Well-Known Member
    At the risk of stirring, there is no general issue with selling unhallmarked silver in the UK - it just cannot be called "silver". Instead, unhallmarked silver & gold are just unspecified "white metal" for legal purposes, and the prices in shops & auctions would probably reflect it. Of course, if you want to increase the value of a "white metal" object based on its true material content, you can get it hallmarked...

    However, I'm not sure about SW advertising things as "silver" or "gold" - is there some disclaimer?
     
  9. leandroarndt
    leandroarndt Member
    It seems to me (from what I've read on the HMC website) that hallmarking is not compulsory on foreign trade operations, but this may lead to extra bureaucracy for customs clearance. If SW factory was located in the UK, hallmarking would indeed be compulsory.
     
  10. AmLachDesigns
    AmLachDesigns Well-Known Member
    I do not think there is - and this is one of the issues.

    "The Hallmarking Act 1973 provides details on the law covering hallmarking, assaying and describing articles made of, or containing precious metals (gold, silver, platinum and palladium). The act defines the marks that are stamped on an item when it has passed the Assay Office tests. The law says hallmarks must be 'approved'. Due to changes in the law, the definition of approved hallmarks has been extended to include hallmarks which come from countries within the European Economic Areas (EEA Marks). The Approved Hallmarks which are allowed are those which are stamped by an independent organisation according to the law of the member states. The information must also be understandable to the people buying jewellery in that state. Please refer to the Assay Office for more information if necessary.

    It is an offence under the Hallmarking Act to describe articles as being made totally or partly of gold, silver, platinum or Palladium, supply or offer to supply an article that is made of gold, silver, platinum or palladium which have not been hallmarked."




    This has nothing to with HMC, but with the Assay Office and consumer protection.
     
  11. PeregrineStudios
    PeregrineStudios Well-Known Member
    I think people are getting lost in technicalities here. The discussion has become 'does Shapeways technically HAVE TO HALLMARK under the law?'. IMHO, that is the wrong question to be asking. There are a LOT of things businesses don't LEGALLY HAVE TO DO, but they do it anyway because their customers expect it. Any purchaser of precious metals, especially ones like 18k gold or platinum, WILL be expecting their jewelry to be hallmarked, period. It's a fact. Shapeways cannot change that fact. These customers can have it explained to them that under some legal technicality, Shapeways doesn't NEED to hallmark it, but they will expect it because that is the level of service they receive at ANY OTHER VENUE offering this product.

    I'm not really taking any side in this debate; Shapeways is right when they say hallmarking would require editing your design, without your input. But the simple, unchangeable, immutable FACT is that customers will (reasonably) expect a level of service that they will not receive, and Shapeways' reputation - or the seller's reputation - will suffer as a result.
     
  12. leandroarndt
    leandroarndt Member
    I would only add that this is a really important issue on some countries (e.g. UK), while it does not make sense on others (e.g. Brazil).

    I thought a little bit on that, and maybe found a "solution". Precious metals are not colored prints, but uploading a color texture with a colored area apt for hallmarking would tell Shapeways where this could be done with express agreement of the designer. It would be like a full color sandstone/plastic model, but the colored area would be that where hallmarking would be allowed.
     
    Malwen likes this.
  13. AmLachDesigns
    AmLachDesigns Well-Known Member
    You might be right. My personal feeling is that for certain jurisdictions they do, but frankly that's SW's problem.

    100% agreed. I have said above that for silver it's possibly ok, but for the other metals it seems unforgiveable.

    I cannot agree here. SW say this, presumably, so that they can claim they are not responsible for content but just a pipeline - a DMCA type dodge, or something like that. But the fact is SW alter any cast object. They take your model, print it in wax, add parts for the ingress of molten metal and egress of air, vaporised wax and fumes. When the cast is produced they then remove the extra parts and polish, and then polish some more if required. So in the process of making the finished object they perform some processes which modify the object: in this context it seems unreasonable to say that they cannot hallmark as part of that production process, especially if it is required by law (in certain jurisdictions).
     
  14. numarul7
    numarul7 Well-Known Member
    :)
     
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2014
  15. JACANT
    JACANT Well-Known Member
    Everyone seems to be missing the point.

    Shapeways can not sell or offer to sell any item containing any Gold, Silver, Platinum or Palladium in the UK without it being assayed first. There is not a choice.

    Implications for Importers into the UK and Exporters to the UK
    Before your goods can be offered for sale they have to have been tested and hallmarked at a UK Assay Office. Unless they are exempt because:
    a) The product weighs less than
    1.00 gram for Gold
    7.78 grams for Silver
    0.5 grams for Platinum
    1.00 gram for Palladium
    b) The product has already been tested and hallmarked in a country which is a signatory to the International Convention on Hallmarking and it bears the Convention "Common Control Mark".
    The following countries are signatories to the convention: Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Irelnad, Israel, Latvia,

    I started a new topic about Nickel and it's control as a dangerous substance.
    I would appreciate some feedback on this http://bit.ly/1rD6bc0
     
  16. numarul7
    numarul7 Well-Known Member
    COPY-PASTE FROM A LAW IT NOT MEANS YOU ARE A LAWYER THERE ARE LAWS FOR EVERY ARTICLE IN A LAW.

    STOP THIS!

    Go to a LOCAL LAWYER PAY HIM to explain you why and what!

    It is stupid to copy paste from law and read it if you are NOT A LAWYER! Every law has exceptions and exceptions can be in other LAW and in OTHER law can be ANOTHER EXCEPTIONS!

     
  17. siaeva
    siaeva Member
    If we are to stamp the pieces ourselves, does anyone know where you can buy a 925S stamp and/or a custom stamp containing the name of your company? I have found 925 stamps but not 925S.

    Also, does anyone know if we make the markings in the 3D model itself whether it would be too small to show up as clearly as hallmarks do on traditionally made silver jewellery?
     
  18. It's 2016 now and there is still no hallmarking or offer to hallmark.
    This causes a lot of grief in the UK as there are Assay offices throughout Europe and the UK still insists by law, that all gold and silver be hallmarked by the producer, in this case, Shapeways.

    Many years have passed and this is still not on the table.
    When I contacted Shapeways, the customer service person said that they would talk to the materials department - the same as the above back in 2011.

    Can someone fill me in please?

    Regards, Jet
     
  19. SergiuCociuba
    SergiuCociuba Active Member
    Still no update on this matter from Shapeways?
     
    Malwen likes this.