The British Hallmarking Council (BHC) announces a new initiative to provide support for the UK jewellery industry and to protect UK consumers. This October sees the launch of a new format for the Dealers Notice, a new digital asset explaining the vital information contained in a hallmark and a new campaign encouraging jewellers to give high visibility to the importance of hallmarking online.

The UK jewellery industry has a long and distinguished history, however the world is changing, and with outlets for its products once firmly established in bricks and mortar in local high streets, more retailers are quickly moving online.

The Hallmarking Act 1973 sets standards and marketing requirements for the sale of gold, silver, platinum and palladium jewellery and other articles. There are three main areas with which jewellers need to comply when selling online:

1. Hallmarking compliance
2. Accurate product descriptions for consumers
3. Hallmarking information for consumers / Dealers Notice display.

The Dealers Notice provides consumer information to identify the integrity of product through the Hallmark. The format was initially designed for face to face transactions and the BHC has now redesigned it for internet use and has joined forces with the National Association of Jewellers to promote it to the industry for its own protection and that of its customers. The new format is an alternative for online sales platforms where a dedicated page on hallmarking is not possible. It is designed to be included as an individual product image, giving online retailers a choice of how to display hallmarking information.

The Hallmark is a consumer guarantee of product fineness and is a powerful marketing tool for UK businesses. The objective is to increase its visibility at the point of sale and to reinforce the understanding of its importance and the protection it provides to consumers.