Hi Deb - yes you can mix & match.You just have to mark the ones that require something different with a cross or similar and note it on the form in the box provided at the bottom of the page.
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yes only to sales Samantha.
Thanks Theresa , that is great news.
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80 pieces! I canāt imagine ever getting that many items ready in one go! I would love to though and am counting down the days when all my children are in school and I can get more done 
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It is a pain in the bum really as nothing is finished when it goes off , and then itās a mad dash to get it completed for deadlines. I sell through quite a few shops so do small batches of similar things.
If I donāt get the price right down then once the galleries add on their mark up it adds a lot to the cost of a piece, that I donāt benefit from .
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As Teresa said just mark which you want Lasering, i usually put the ones i want lasering in a separate bag to the others, saveās them time sorting them.
Thanks, Deborah!
Hi All,
I work with silver, thankfully my items come under the 7.78g limit (I checked as best I can but the stones and beads rather complicate the matter) but Iāve been following this with interest. Does anyone know how assaying applies to items sold in pairs or sets? ie if I make a pair of cufflinks can I use under 7.78g of silver in each one of the pair without needing to get them assayed or would the 7.78g limit apply to the pair as they would be sold as a pair? Iām guessing that the assay office would check each one and stamp them individually and then charge me per item but maybe someone with experience of the assay office can correct that.
Thanks
As far as I understand it, when making earrings, cufflinks etc they are taken into account separately, and each one carries itās own hallmark. So each one could be just under 7.78g and youād be fine. Thatās what someone from the London assay office told me anyway! x x
I asked the assay office about this only recently and was told that the weight applies to each item rather than the pair.
Hi Deborah,
I was just reading through this very old thread. Iāve finally started to make more things from fine and sterling silver. If I were to get a mark and register etc (prob a way off yet), what im wondering about is, how exactly do you send the pieces off (how complete or incomplete are they) .
For instance Iāve been making rings with cabochons, and pendants with cabs set in simple bezels. Im guessing you would send off the unset ring shank/ bezel , and the pendant /bezel (sorry i donāt know correct terminology) with all soldered parts in place, but would you go as far as polishing/ finishing or would you do this part afterwards. Also do you decide where the hallmark goes, or do they decide for you?
bit long winded, sorry 
Suzanne :o)
Hi Suzanne
It is best to send things unset, solder and clean up but donāt do your final polishing as they will take a scrape sample from some part , so you will have to sand up and polish once you get it back.
Some items it is easier to send in pieces, as long as all the bits are there, and there is minimal soldering left to do, it is fine.
To minimize the amount they scrape from the items you can add a little bag of scrap that the item was made from, ie bit of wire or sheet offcut.
You can choose where you want the mark , draw on the piece with sharpie. Mention on the hall notes that you want them to stamp where indicated . If you donāt specify they will choose.
If you have an item that could be damaged with the stamping ask for it to be laser marked on the notes.
Hope that helps
Dx
thank you for the info. I didnāt realise they take a scrape of the metal, you learn something new each time ! It will take me absolutely ages to build up stock, but itās great to know the process of actually sending them off. I imagine it is quite a time consuming thing to do, and of course you have to wait to actually finish them, which being quite new to making silver pieces, is the most satisfying and exciting part. Though I do always love it when the solder flows on a good join
Suzanne :o)
Just a heads up - I recently investigated registering a markers mark at London, nothing I make is heavy enough to require hallmarking so this would be so that I can stamp my pieces as a āI made thisā and not a full hall mark, only to find that I canāt have my initials in either of the fonts they offer as all the small shield shapes suitable for little things have been taken. I now have to come up with some different letters (donāt want to do that as I really want to work under SG) or I think I can design my own shield shape! You might want to register the letters you are interested in (if possible) just so that no one else can nab them. Iām going to stick to my open back settings on everything to keep the weight down until I figure out what to do.
The excitement of finishing a new piece doesnāt go away,I find hallmarking still a frustrating palaver 30 odd years on.
Usually it takes about a week to 10 days to get your items back. Itās the building up enough pieces to send, to bring the cost down, that takes the time.
Sasha I had the same thing when I registered , I had to add a middle initial and go with the best of a bad lot shield.
The stamps I have are so small it is not really an issue though, I never use them as decorative features like some do.
I really donāt like my middle initial (I become SLG and was nicknamed āslugā at school and Iād rather not go back to that) and Iād quite like to use my makers mark as my logo and get it stamped on to boxes. Pondering on using my sisterās initials (ZG) as a Z is a bit like a back to front S and lots of shapes are available.
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@SashaGarrett I too was only thinking to have the hallmarks to say I made it and I guess to make buyers more confident in buying my work. I will have to have a good read, I remember looking at the London one once before and coming away a bit confused. So am I right in thinking you can have them hallmarked with just your initials and a āshieldā , but wouldnāt you want the 925 on it as well, Itās a pretty complex business when you are unfamiliar with it so that may sound a bit silly ! 
I must go away an try brush up on my knowledge.
@DeborahJonesJewellery yes I imagine it will take an absolute age to build up my own stock, perhaps this is not for me at the moment, but maybe I should register an nab my initials if they are available, for the future.
You can get makers marks and 925 stamps from lots of places, you donāt need to register and get them through the assay office.(for stamping underweight items)
It would not be worth paying them to stamp initials alone -I donāt actually think itās a service they offer.
Lots of jewellers keep their makers stamps themselves so that they can stamp all their pieces. The assay office keep mine because I would probably lose them in the chaos of my shed, although I am trying to be better.
@DeborahJonesJewellery do you know the names of these companies that make them up? alternatively - so you can just register with the assay office and have the punch sent to you? I suppose this way although more expensive means no one else will have your mark.
thanks for all the replies
Metal purity stamps are available from cooksongold.
Logo and initial type stamps can be ordered from Eyre & Baxter or EquiBrand
If you want a registered jewellers mark you have to go through the assay office.
When you register with the assay office you get to choose what initials you want and an outline shield shape that goes around it( from their available list). You then choose what size and type of stamps you want ie straight or swansneck (for inside rings) they will then either send these to you , or hang on to them for you. If you keep them yourself obviously you can use them on everything and never send anything back to them for hallmarking, alternatively you include them in the packet of work you send and they stamp for you , or you stamp your own initials and they stamp the hallmark behind it.
I should add registration is valid for 10 years , then you have to pay again. But the stamps are yours forever.
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No Eileen, Silver under7.78 gms,palladium under 1 gm,gold under 1 gm,platinum under 0.5 gms are exempt from hallmarking and can be described as these metals if they are,it is an offence if they are not.Certain filigree work is exempt as are a few other things. If you are deemed not to be a trader it is not an offence to describe a non exemt article as being of a precious metal,having said that it takes very few transactions to be deemed as a trader.I donāt hallmark all of my items.