Hallmarks

[EcclesCake]

Under what circumstances would a piece of British made jewellery not be hallmarked?

I have a vague recollection of a commissioned piece not requiring a hallmark unless I paid for it to be sent to the Assay Office, is this memory correct?

If it is does it mean that retail pieces are automatically hallmarked and commissions are a matter of choice?

If I am mistaken in my assumption that it it is British made how do I go about determine the country of manufacture? The piece in question is unmarked.

[Prudie]

All good Eccles :-) I may well have been a bit naive at the time but because it was handmade to request it was explained that it didn't need to be hallmarked. In the flush of the romanticism re-sale didn't cross my mind. Unfortunately it now sits in a box never worn (the ex is long gone!!)

[woofgang]

My commissioned pieces (pendant and earrings) are hallmarked. I will never sell them, they just got hallmarked when they were made.