BENCHMARK STANDARDS

 

Jewellery created to the highest standards

"The beauty of an object should extend beyond how it looks. It should be reflected in the quality and provenance of the raw materials, and in the very processes and techniques that are used to create it. That’s why all of my work is guaranteed to the highest industry standards..."

HALLMARKING

All of our jewellery is hallmarked by the London Assay Office at The Goldsmiths’ Company. Their reputation for excellence has been built since 1300 when they began testing and hallmarking precious metals.

In the UK it is a legal requirement for an Assay Office (based in London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh) to hallmark any jewellery containing precious metals. And it’s our guarantee to you that the precious metals we use are exactly what we say they are. For example if we are making your jewellery in 18ct gold then the hallmark will reflect this and guarantee it for you. The same applies to other metals such as Silver and Platinum.

Our AJM hallmark (see image above) means that your jewellery:

Has been independently tested
Conforms to all legal standards of purity (fineness)
Guarantees provenance by telling you where the piece was hallmarked, what the jewellery is made from, and who made it.

More about what the hallmark means can be found in Precious Metals and Hallmarking.

DIAMONDS

We care deeply about the quality of the diamonds we use. We only use suppliers who adhere to strict policies about conflict diamonds. And all our diamonds over 0.40ct are GIA certified. Here’s some information about how diamonds are graded and valued by the GIA:

When it comes to diamonds it’s a question of the 4 C’s.

Clarity:

How free from internal and external flaws and imperfections is the stone? The 11 point scale ranges from FL: Flawless (no flaws) to P3 or I 3: Piqué or Imperfect (visible to the naked eye and without magnification).

In most instances the minimum standard of diamond we use is grade VS: Very Slightly Included (Flaws are minor and difficult to see at under 10x magnification)

 

Colour:

When talking about white diamonds (as coloured diamonds are graded differently) the colour is all about what you can’t see. Diamonds are valued by how closely they approach colourlessness – the less colour (yellow), the higher their value. It’s a 23 point scale starting with D: Colourless, running alphabetically to Z gradually shifting from white to a deep yellow in colour. However at this end of the scale the deep yellow is actually very rare and therefore desirable, qualifying it as Fancy Yellow or Intense Fancy Yellow.

In most instances the minimum standard of diamond we use is grade G and F Colour - which are near colourless diamonds.

Cut:

Cut quality is the factor that fuels a diamond’s fire, sparkle and brilliance, not to be confused with describing the ‘shape’ of the diamond. There are seven components to the cut of a diamond: Brightness, fire, sparkle, weight ratio, durability, polish and symmetry. These are all measured on a five point scale: Excellent, Very good, Good, Fair and Poor.

Carat:

Diamonds and other gemstones are weighed in metric carats (not to be confused with the karat of gold ‘18k’ or ‘18ct’ which refers to the purity of the gold). One metric carat is equal to 0.2 grams (the equivalent weight of a paperclip). A carat is divided into 100 points. For example, a 50-point diamond weighs 0.50 carats.

As a rough guide a 0.50ct round diamond will measure approximately 5mm in diameter. However, because diamonds are measured by weight then if it's a shallow stone the diameter may be larger and if it's a deep stone the diameter may be smaller.

CERTIFIED DIAMONDS

What is the significance? GIA certified diamonds are the most internationally recognised of all certified diamonds and are the most reputable. All our diamonds over 0.40ct are GIA certified which means your diamond comes with either a GIA report or GIA dossier. The numbers on these reposts / dossiers correspond with a tiny laser marked number on the girdle of your diamond which gives you peace of mind and guarantees the diamond you are buying is 100% what we say it is.

 

You can read more about diamonds, grading, GIA and certificates in Diamonds and Gems.

ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE

Kimberly process:

The Kimberley Process (KP) is an initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds. These are the rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments.

The KP is organised jointly by governments, industry and civil society, and currently has 54 participants (including the EU). KP members account for approximately 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds.

All of our suppliers adhere to the KP.

 

CanadaMark Diamonds:

We take responsibly sourced diamonds seriously. And we know that you do, too. That’s why you can choose to use a CanadaMark diamond.

These diamonds are responsibly mined from the Ekati or Diavik mines and each diamond is inscribed with CanadaMark on the girdle. This will be a little more expensive but each CanadaMark stone comes with a guarantee certificate which will give you peace of mind that your diamond is 100% responsibly mined.

 

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

We are members of the NAJ - the National Association of Jewellers. The NAJ is the UK’s leading Jewellery Association (and the largest trade association member within The British Allied Trades Federation). Their mission is to increase the confidence of the UK consumer when they purchase jewellery.

What does this mean for you?

It gives us access to targeted industry-leading professional development and training
It means we adhere to a Code of Practice which sets the highest standards of professionalism, honesty and ethical business practices
It acts as a Mark of Quality which we proudly display to build an enduring bond of trust with our customers consumers