Home Silverware
Our entire range of sterling silver napkin rings, napkin hooks and napkin ring sets are handmade in our own specialist workshop and come in both traditional and modern designs. All napkin rings carry a full English hallmark with the date letter. This is ideal for christening gifts as it can denote the child's year of birth.
Why do we have hallmarking ?
Unless specifically exempted, articles made of precious metals may not be sold as such in the UK until they have been hallmarked. Gold and silver have, through the centuries, been alloyed with other metals, because in their pure state they are too soft to make jewellery, tableware etc.
However, it is impossible to tell by eye how much cheaper base metals have been used in this hardening process. Even gold plating, a few microns thick, looks like solid gold when new. Because of the high price of precious metals this tempts the dishonest to use substandard alloys, thus increasing profits.
The fraud is very difficult to detect; those who suffer from it are both the honest manufacturer, competing against the less scrupulous and of course the final purchaser of the goods.
Why do we have hallmarking ?
Unless specifically exempted, articles made of precious metals may not be sold as such in the UK until they have been hallmarked. Gold and silver have, through the centuries, been alloyed with other metals, because in their pure state they are too soft to make jewellery, tableware etc.
However, it is impossible to tell by eye how much cheaper base metals have been used in this hardening process. Even gold plating, a few microns thick, looks like solid gold when new. Because of the high price of precious metals this tempts the dishonest to use substandard alloys, thus increasing profits.
The fraud is very difficult to detect; those who suffer from it are both the honest manufacturer, competing against the less scrupulous and of course the final purchaser of the goods.