Hallmarks: The Secret History of Silver and Gold | From the Middle Ages to Today

Before the hallmarks, nobody trusted anybody

Imagine a medieval market. A merchant offers you a ring made of "pure silver." Is it really silver? Copper covered with a thin layer of silver? An alloy so diluted that it will tarnish on your finger in three weeks?

Without a hallmark, you had no way of knowing.

It is precisely to solve this problem, fraud involving precious metals, that the hallmark exists. And its history is much older, much more political, and much more violent than one might imagine.

The earliest traces: Byzantium, 4th century

The first documented system for controlling precious metals dates back to the Byzantine Empire. As early as the 4th century AD, official hallmarks were applied to silverware to certify its pure metal content. These marks were not yet systematic, but they introduced a fundamental idea: the state guarantees the value .

Byzantine objects discovered in archaeology bear five distinct hallmarks, corresponding to five different controls. The imperial bureaucracy already oversaw the silver trade.

Source: Byzantine Silver Stamps, Smithsonian Institution

Paris, 1260: the first European system

In France, the first text regulating precious metals dates from 1260. It is attributed to Étienne Boileau , provost of the merchants of Paris under Louis IX (Saint Louis). His "Book of Trades" codified the Parisian craft professions, including goldsmiths.

The rule is simple: all precious metal objects must be inspected and marked before being sold. Goldsmiths who cheat on the 925 silver content are liable to penalties.

This marks the birth of the French guarantee system. It will survive, with numerous evolutions, to this day, in the form of the Tête de Minerve.

Source: DGDDI, Marking rules for the guarantee of precious metals

London, 1300: Edward I and the Lion

In England, the guarantee system originated in 1300 , during the reign of Edward I. A law required goldsmiths to bring their pieces to Goldsmith's Hall, the headquarters of the goldsmiths' guild in London, to be inspected.

The English term "hallmark" comes directly from this: "hall" refers to Goldsmith's Hall, and "mark" is the mark. A hallmark is literally "the hall's mark".

The first official English hallmark was a crowned leopard's head . The lion passant, the universal emblem of British silver today, only appeared in 1544 , and this is no coincidence.

Source: The Goldsmiths' Company, London, History of Hallmarking

Henry VIII and the great diluted money scandal

In 1542, Henry VIII of England faced a major financial crisis. His wars were costly, and his coffers were empty. His solution? The Great Debasement : secretly ordering the Royal Mint to reduce the precious metal content of coins.

Instead of 92.5% pure silver, the coins now contain only 25%. The rest is copper. Henry VIII received the nickname "Old Coppernose" because his portraits appeared on shillings, and the copper that first showed through under friction was his nose.

The ensuing economic crisis was severe. Inflation skyrocketed. Confidence collapsed.

It was in this context that, in 1544, the lion passant , a lion walking with its right forepaw raised, was adopted as the official hallmark to certify the authenticity of silver. It survives to this day, unchanged.

Source: British Museum, The Great Debasement | Assay Office London, History

France, 1838: the birth of Minerva

After the French Revolution and the Napoleonic upheavals, the French guarantee system was reorganized. In 1838 , the new hallmark for French sterling silver was officially adopted: the Head of Minerva .

Minerva (Athena in Greek mythology) is the goddess of wisdom, the arts, and craftsmanship. Her helmeted head within an octagon, accompanied by the number "1" for the first hallmark (925 Silver), became the official mark affixed by French assay offices.

This hallmark is still in use today. Every piece of 925 silver jewelry legally sold in France must bear it.

Source: DGDDI, Precious Metals Guarantee

Portugal and the rabbit's head (2021)

The Portuguese guarantee office, Contrastaria , is part of INCM (Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda). Its history of guaranteeing precious metals dates back several centuries.

What is less well known: in 2021 , Portugal changed its official hallmark for silver. The old mark (an eagle's head) was replaced by a rabbit's head facing left .

Why a rabbit? The choice of animal symbols in European guarantee systems dates back to complex heraldic traditions. The rabbit, swift and prolific, was associated in some traditions with commercial vigilance.

At Honu, every silver piece passes through Contrastaria. This isn't a mere formality: it's an independent certification that the metal has been analyzed and validated. This mark guarantees the 925 or 950 silver content of every piece of jewelry handcrafted in our workshop .

Source: Contrastaria / INCM, Assay Office Mark | Official Brand Poster 2024

The 1972 International Convention: Money Without Borders

In 1972, a milestone for the global Jewellery industry: the International Convention on the Control and Hallmarking of Articles of Precious Metals was signed in Vienna by several European countries.

This convention establishes a common hallmarking system recognized among signatory countries. Jewelry inspected in Sweden can be sold in Portugal without further inspection, provided it bears the conventional hallmark (a stylized scale accompanied by the fineness in thousandths).

France is not a signatory (it maintains its own system with Minerva). Portugal, the United Kingdom and others are.

Source: Vienna Convention Organisation (CCM), Hallmarking Convention

Today, a hallmark, a 700-year history

This small symbol engraved inside a ring or on the back of a pendant is not a mere administrative formality. It is the result of seven centuries of fighting fraud, economic crises, wars, and the determination of honest artisans to prove the value of their work.

Each country has developed its own visual language:

• France : Head of Minerva wearing a helmet in an octagon (since 1838)
• United Kingdom : Lion passant (since 1544, unchanged for 480 years)
• Portugal : Rabbit head (since 2021)
• Italy : Hexagon with a 5-pointed star and province code

A piece of jewelry without a hallmark can be authentic (very small pieces are often exempt, such as those under 30 grams in France). But a piece of jewelry with a hallmark has passed the examination of an accredited body. This is a guarantee that neither a salesperson's rhetoric nor the glitter of a shop window can replace.

To learn more: How to identify sterling silver in jewelry

Discover why handcrafted forging without casting produces truly unique pieces, or explore our Exceptional Pieces made from certified solid silver.