S.I. No. 327/1983 - Hallmarking (Approved Hallmarks) Regulations, 1983.

1. For articles made in the United Kingdom.

Pour les ouvrages fabriqués au Royaume-Uni.

BIRMINGHAM

2. For articles not made in the United Kingdom.

Pour les ouvrages non fabriqués au Royaume-Uni.

B

For silver articles exported from the United Kingdom with standards of fineness (800 and 830) not recognised by United Kingdom law.

Pour les ouvrages d'argent exportés du Royaume-Uni aux titres (800 et 830) non reconnus par la loi du Royaume-Uni.

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 1st day of November, 1983.

FRANK CLUSKEY,

Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

The purpose of these Regulations is to allow for the assaying and hallmarking of precious metals in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals, 1972, to which the State, from the commencement of these Regulations, will be a party.

The Regulations prescribe approved hallmarks, including existing hallmarks; provide for a hallmark for platinum; provide for the recognition in Irish law of the authorised marks of the participating States to the Convention; and provide for the recognition as an approved Irish hallmark of the Common Control Mark of the Convention.

3. Ouvrages en métaux précieux exportés à des titres non reconnus par la loi suisse.

Articles of Precious Metals exported with other Standards of Fineness than those recognised by Swiss Law.

Bureaux de contrôle suisses reconnus et leur signe distinctif.

Authorized Swiss Assay Offices and their Distinctive Mark.

Bureaux—Offices

Signes ditinctifs

Dinstinctive Marks

Bureau central de contrôle des métaux précieux, Berne (Head Office)

+(crois suisse — Swiss cross)

Bâle-ville

*(étoile à 5 branches - 5 point Star)

Bâle-aéroport

M

Bienne

B

La Chaux-de-Fonds

C

Chiasso

t

Genève-ville

G

Genève-aéroport

A

Granges

g

Lausanne

V

Le Locle

L

Neuchâtel

N

Le Noirmont

n

Romanshorn

R

Schaffhouse

S

Zürich-ville

Z

Zürich-aéroport

K

Le signe distinctif de chaque bureau se trouve sur tous les poinçons officiels suisses de contrôle, a l'endroit marqué d'une croix (voir pages 39 et 40).

The distinctive mark of each office is to be found on all official Swiss Control marks at the cross-marked place (see pages 39 and 40).

UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

LIST OF THE AUTHORISED ASSAY OFFICES AND OF THEIR ASSAY OFFICE MARKS

LISTE DES BUREAUX DE CONTROLE DESIGNES ET DE LEURS POINÇONS DE CONTROLE

according to the provisions

of Article 5 of the

Convention on the Control

and Marking of Articles of

Precious Metals.

conformément à l'article 5

de la Convention sur le

contrôle et le

poinçonnement des

ouvrages en métaux

précieux.

Department of Prices and Consumer Protection,

London, April 1976.

Authorised Assay Offices in the United Kingdom.

Bureaux de controle designes dans le Royaume-Uni.

The Assay Office

Newhall Street

BIRMINGHAM B3 1SB

The Assay Office

Goldsmiths' Hall

15 Queen Street

EDINBURGH EH2 1JE

The Assay Office

Goldsmiths' Hall

Gutter Lane

LONDON EC2V 8AQ

The Assay Office

137 Portobello Street

SHEFFIELD S1 4DR

The assay office marks of the Authorised Assay Offices in the United Kingdom.

Les poinçons des bureaux de contrôle designés dans le Royaume-Uni.

A

For articles with standards of fineness recognised by the United Kingdom law.

Pour les ouvrages aux titres reconnus par la loi du Royaume-Uni.

4. No minus tolerance shall be permitted. The authorized assay office may, however, accept assay results showing a small deviation below standard falling within the margins of recognized inaccuracies in the approved assay methods.

Marking

5. The following marks shall be applied

(

a

) a registered responsibility mark as described in paragraph 7;

(

b

) a number in arabic numerals showing the standard of fineness of the article in parts per thousand;

(

c

) the mark of the authorized assay office;

(

d

) the Common Control Mark as described in paragraph 8.

Marks (

a

) and (

b

) shall be punched or cast on the article.

Marks (

c

) and (

d

) shall be punched on the article.

6. If an article consists of parts, one or more of which are hinged or readily separable from the main part of the article, the above marks shall be applied only to the main part. In such case the assay office shall where practicable apply the Common Control Mark to the other parts.

7. The responsibility mark referred to in paragraph 5 (

a

) shall consist of the name of the sponsor, an abbreviation thereof or a symbol, which has been entered into an official register of the Contracting State, or one of its authorized assay offices, in whose territory the article in question is controlled.

8. The Common Control Mark shall consist of the representation of a balance together with the number in arabic numerals showing the standard of fineness of the article in parts per thousand in relief on a lined background surrounded by a shield indicating the nature of the precious metal as follows

Examples of the design of the Common Control Mark are reproduced at Appendix.

9. If the article is found by the authorized assay office to comply with the provisions of Annex I to this Convention the authorized assay office may mark the article with its appointed assay office mark and the Common Control Mark. In cases where the Common Control Mark is applied the authorized assay office shall, before the article leaves its custody, ensure that the article is fully marked in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs 5 and 6. Whenever possible all marks shall be placed in immediate proximity to each other.

*

* *

APPENDIX—APPENDICE

________________

EXAMPLES OF THE COMMON CONTROL MARK MODÈLES DU POINÇON COMMUN

FOR GOLD ARTICLES OF THE STANDARD OF FINENESS 750

POUR LES OUVRAGES D'OR AU TITRE DE 750

FOR SILVER ARTICLES OF THE STANDARD OF FINENESS 925

POUR LES OUVRAGES D'ARGENT AU TITRE DE 925

FOR PLATINUM ARTICLES OF THE STANDARD OF FINENESS 950

POUR LES OUVRAGES DE PLATINE AU TITRE DE 950

CONVENTION

ON THE

CONTROL

AND MARKING

OF ARTICLES

OF PRECIOUS

METALS

AMENDMENT OF

PAGE 18

AMENDMENT TO PARAGRAPH 6 (

b

) OF ANNEX I TO THE CONVENTION

(Adopted by the Contracting States in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 11 of the Convention and entered into force on 14th July 1980)

Paragraph 6 (

b

) of Annex I to the Convention, as amended, should read

(

b

)

Silver

Solder for silver articles of the 925 standard shall contain not less than 650 parts of silver per 1,000. Solder for silver articles of the 800 and 830 standards shall contain not less than 550 parts of silver per 1,000.

Regulation 4

SCHEDULE 2

Approved Fineness Mark for Platinum Articles Manufactured or Wrought in the State.

Regulation 5

SCHEDULE 3

Dublin Assay Office Marks

10. The use of non-metallic parts shall be permitted provided these are clearly distinguishable from the precious metal, they are not plated or coloured to resemble precious metals and their extent is clearly visible. Non-metallic fillings for handles for knives, forks and spoons shall also be permitted provided such fillings are used only in the quantities that are necessary for joining.

The use of more than one precious metal in the same article

11. The use of more than one precious metal in the same article shall be prohibited except in the following cases

(

a

) the use of platinum parts on articles which contain gold parts exceeding 50 per cent by weight of the total metallic parts, provided that the article is marked as gold on the gold part with the marks specified in paragraph 5 of Annex II;

(

b

) the use of gold and/or platinum parts on articles which contain silver parts exceeding 50 per cent by weight of the total metallic parts, provided that the article is marked as silver on the silver part with the marks specified in paragraph 5 of Annex II;

(

c

) the use of small working parts of a less precious metal, such as tongues for clasps, which for technical reasons cannot be made of the more precious metal, provided that the less precious part is stamped or engraved with a specific designation of the metal.

12. The coating of silver articles with gold is permitted provided that the whole article is marked as silver. The coating of white gold, silver or platinum articles with rhodium is permitted provided that the whole article is marked as gold, silver or platinum respectively.

13. Undercoats or final coatings of metals, other than those permitted under paragraph 12, on precious metal articles shall be prohibited.

14. The parts of platinum referred to in paragraph 11 (

a

), the parts of gold or platinum referred to in paragraph 11 (

b

), the parts of less precious metal referred to in paragraph 11 (

c

), and the gold coating referred to in paragraph 12 shall be of a fineness not less than the minimum standard of fineness for these metals as laid down in paragraph 2.

ANNEX II

CONTROL BY THE AUTHORIZED ASSAY OFFICES

S.I. No. 327 of 1983.

HALLMARKING (APPROVED HALLMARKS) REGULATIONS, 1983.

I, FRANK CLUSKEY, Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by

section 3

of the

Hallmarking Act, 1981

(No. 18 of 1981), and the Industry, Commerce and Tourism (Alteration of Name of Department and Title of Minister) Order, 1981 (

S.I. No. 290 of 1981

), and after consultation with the Company referred to in the said section 3, hereby make the following Regulations:—