Call For Urgent Reform of UK Hallmarking Law

 

Time to Address Digital Jewellery Trade: UK Assay Offices  

Open letter urges consultation to modernise the Hallmarking Act 1973 and strengthen consumer protection in online marketplaces!  

In a unified appeal to policymakers, the four UK Assay Offices—Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield—supported by the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ), have sounded a clear warning: the UK’s hallmarking legislation is no longer fit for purpose in a rapidly evolving digital retail landscape.  

Through a formal open letter, the Assay Offices underline that hallmarking remains one of the most trusted safeguards for consumers purchasing precious metal jewellery. However, they argue that the Hallmarking Act 1973, drafted long before e-commerce, social media selling and global online marketplaces became mainstream, is struggling to regulate how jewellery is bought and sold. 

The letter highlights a growing regulatory gap, where significant volumes of unhallmarked and non-compliant precious metal articles are being sold to UK consumers via online platforms, livestream shopping and influencer-led commerce. With marketplace operators often positioning themselves as intermediaries rather than sellers, enforcement agencies face serious limitations in establishing liability and taking effective action.

As a result, consumers are increasingly exposed to misrepresentation and fraud, while compliant UK jewellers-who invest time and cost to meet hallmarking requirements, find themselves undercut by sellers operating outside the law. To address this imbalance, the Assay Offices are calling for a formal consultation on targeted amendments to the Hallmarking Act.  

Their proposals focus on modernising statutory definitions to reflect digital trading models, extending hallmarking responsibility to online marketplace operators, and clearly recognising digital listings and livestream sales as formal, offers to sell; under the law. They also seek stronger digital enforcement powers, enabling Assay Offices and Trading Standards to monitor online activity, issue takedown requests and demand compliance data from platforms.  

The letter positions these recommendations as part of a broader policy alignment with the UK government’s approach to online platform accountability, including measures introduced under the Online Safety Act and wider cross-regulatory efforts to tackle unsafe and non-compliant products sold online.  

In closing, the Assay Offices emphasise that hallmarking has protected UK consumers for centuries, but its future credibility depends on legislative reform that mirrors modern commerce. Without action, they warn, consumer trust will weaken and law-abiding businesses will continue to face unfair competition in an increasingly digital marketplace.  

The Assay Offices have urged government support for a review of the Hallmarking Act 1973 and have offered to engage further, bringing practical insight from both regulators and the jewellery trade to help shape a robust, future-ready framework.