UK Hallmarking Falls in September 2026, but 22ct Gold Rises
The monthly assay numbers are one of the few hard measures of how much new jewellery Britain is making, and September's were mixed.
The four UK assay offices hallmarked 552,911 precious metal articles in September 2026, 28% fewer than in September 2025, according to figures compiled by Birmingham Assay Office and reported by Something About Rocks. Gold fell 13% overall, but 22ct gold rose 17%.
The September figures
Every piece of gold, silver, platinum or palladium sold as such in the UK above set weights must be tested and hallmarked by one of four assay offices: London, Birmingham, Sheffield or Edinburgh. Their monthly totals, compiled by Birmingham Assay Office, are a useful measure of how much new jewellery and silverware the trade is producing.
According to Something About Rocks, which reported the September 2026 figures on 14 October, 552,911 articles were hallmarked in the month, down 28% on September 2025. Silver fell hardest, down 42% to 233,678 articles, mostly sterling. Gold was down 13% to 286,677, and platinum down 15%. Palladium rose 44%, from a small base.
Gold by purity
Within gold, the picture split by carat. The report gives falls of 19% for 9ct, 27% for 14ct and 6% for 18ct. The exception was 22ct, which rose 17%.
22ct gold, hallmarked 916 for 91.6% pure gold, has long been the standard for much Asian bridal and gift jewellery in Britain. Jayant Raniga, chief executive of the London retailer PureJewels, told Something About Rocks that 22ct "is all about stock turn". The report links part of the rise to PureJewels' own 22ct collections, which it has started to wholesale through a jeweller in Blackburn whose customers are mainly non-Asian.
Why hallmarks matter when you sell
For new jewellery, a hallmark guarantees the purity of the metal. For older pieces it does more: the assay office mark, the date letter and the maker's mark can tell us where and when a piece was made, and by whom. A Georgian or Victorian date letter, or the mark of a known maker, can make a piece more interesting to collectors than its gold content alone would suggest.
If you are selling hallmarked jewellery or silver, do not let anyone treat it as anonymous scrap. Ask what the marks say, and ask for each piece to be assessed on its own.
Have hallmarked gold or silver to sell?
Send us photographs of your pieces and their marks for a free, no-obligation valuation.
Get a free valuationSelling 22ct gold- Something About Rocks, Rachael Taylor, "UK hallmarking falls sharply in September, but 22ct shines", 14 Oct 2026
- Birmingham Assay Office
Figures as compiled by Birmingham Assay Office and reported by Something About Rocks; comparisons are with September 2025. Mozeris Fine Antiques is not connected with the UK assay offices or PureJewels.
