Assay Assured
Alba Rose Ashes is currently being audited by Assay Assured.
Assay Assured holds one of the most reputable trustmarks in the online jewellery sector and precious metals industry. Operating uninterrupted for over 550 years, from the Edinburgh Assay Office established by Royal Charter, the organisation hallmarks the purity of gold and precious metals.
With the growth of online retailing, the Assay Assured Jewellery Retailers trustmark was launched in 2012 to provide consumers with a clear quality mark that highlights jewellers who maintain high standards and good practice. The scheme has one simple purpose: to protect online jewellery shoppers from counterfeit or fake products.
As an online shopper with an Assay Assured jewellery retailer, you have the confidence that:
- All jewellery offered by the retailer carries the legally required independent hallmark verifying the precious metal content (unless the item is exempt by weight).
- The retailer is part of a scheme of sampling and testing by Assay Assured to ensure that jewellery exempt by weight from hallmarking is also of the claimed standard — providing protection above and beyond legal requirements.
- The retailer has agreed not to carry counterfeit branded jewellery on their site.
- The retailer follows the Assay Assured Code of Conduct.
Assay Assured is owned and administered by the Edinburgh Assay Office. Established by Royal Charter, its primary role has always been to guarantee the purity of precious metals. Today its work centres on providing hallmarks for compliance with the 1973 Hallmarking Act. To do this, articles of gold, silver, platinum and palladium are assayed (tested) and subsequently hallmarked in line with national and international regulations — a service that has been carried out without interruption for over 550 years.
To achieve Assay Assured status, Alba Rose Ashes must adhere to the following Code of Practice:
- Independent Verification - All precious metals sold by the company carry the legally required independent hallmark verifying the precious metal content. Assay Assured also tests and samples items exempt by weight.
- Accurate Product Descriptions - All items are checked to ensure accuracy of their precious metal content.
- Independent Arbitration - Assay Assured acts as an independent verifier if there is any uncertainty about precious metal content.
- Only Genuine Branded Products - Assay Assured Jewellery Retailers guarantee that all online stock is free from counterfeit or fake precious metals.
When manufacturing jewellery and silverware, precious metals (silver, palladium, gold and platinum) are rarely used in their purest form. Instead, they are alloyed with other metals to achieve strength, durability, and colour.
It is not possible to determine the precious metal content of an item by sight or touch. Therefore, it is a legal requirement for items of silver, palladium, gold or platinum to be independently tested and hallmarked before they can be described as such. Items must bear a hallmark at the point of sale, subject to the following weight exemptions:
- Silver - mandatory for items above 7.78 grams
- Gold - mandatory for items above 1 gram
- Palladium - mandatory for items above 1 gram
- Platinum - mandatory for items above 0.5 grams
Alba Rose Ashes is registered with the Birmingham Assay Office, ensuring that all of our precious metal jewellery complies with the UK's hallmarking regulations. Every item is subject to internal checks before dispatch to confirm compliance.
For articles below the UK Hallmarking Act's mandatory weight thresholds, Alba Rose Ashes carries out an additional due diligence process. This involves voluntary periodic testing to confirm that even exempt items meet the minimum fineness requirements.
We are proud to be an Assay Assured Jewellery Retailer. This status is only awarded to jewellers who have been independently audited and verified by Assay Assured, which is overseen by the Edinburgh Assay Office. It ensures that all precious metal jewellery (except items exempt by weight) is independently tested and hallmarked.