What hallmark should every piece of jewelry contain?

Manufacturer's or Responsibility Mark

One of the marks is the manufacturer's identification mark or responsibility mark of the importer. It allows you to determine who is responsible for the jewellery or where the goods originate from. In the Czech Republic, this mark is part of the prescribed marking for jewellery, with exceptions specified by the Assay Act. The manufacturer's mark is assigned by the Assay Office, and the manufacturer may only use it on goods they have manufactured or assembled themselves.

Fineness Number

Another mark is the fineness number, which expresses the proportion of precious metal in the alloy in thousandths.
Our gold jewellery is made exclusively from 14-karat gold with a fineness of 585/1000, which is why you will find the mark 585 on it.
Our silver jewellery is made from silver with a fineness of 925/1000, and therefore bears the mark 925.
However, the fineness number itself is not the same as a state hallmark. A fineness number can also be used on items that do not have a state hallmark, and therefore is not an independent confirmation of fineness on its own.

State Hallmark

The most important official mark is the state hallmark, which is stamped onto the jewellery by the Assay Office after inspection.
The hallmark confirms that the Assay Office has verified the fineness of the item and that it corresponds to the relevant statutory fineness. The type of hallmark also indicates the type of precious metal and its fineness.
Therefore, on our gold jewellery with a fineness of 585/1000, you will find the appropriate Czech hallmark for gold of this fineness. For silver jewellery with a fineness of 925/1000, you will find the corresponding hallmark for silver.

When does jewellery not have to bear a state hallmark?

The Assay Act also stipulates exceptions for goods below a certain weight threshold.
For gold, these are items weighing up to 0.5 g per piece, and for silver, items weighing up to 3 g per piece. Such goods do not have to be marked with a state hallmark or an identification mark, but they must be marked with the appropriate fineness number.

Therefore, for example, a small silver piece of jewellery weighing up to 3 g may not have a state hallmark. However, this does not mean that its marking is entirely arbitrary – the law sets its own rules for such goods.

The Assay Office is a state authority that conducts testing and inspection of precious metals and supervises compliance with the obligations set forth by the Assay Act. The legal basis is primarily Act No. 539/1992 Coll., on assaying and testing of precious metals (Assay Act).
When purchasing precious metal jewellery, we therefore recommend paying attention to its marking. The fineness number informs about the declared fineness, while the state hallmark represents an official fineness inspection carried out by the Assay Office.
With our jewellery, you can be sure that we only use declared precious metals and legal finenesses – 585/1000 gold and 925/1000 silver.