Platinum Is Given a Hallmark From the beginning of this year all on small articles and its rapidity, both platinum jewellery in the United King- essential factors in the handling of large dom is subject to hallmarking under the numbers of samples where results are provisions of the Hallmarking Act of required very quickly. 1973. Platinum alloys for jewellery The first pieces of platinum checked have thus been brought into line with by the London Assay Office were cere- carat golds and sterling silver in that monially hallmarked in the presence of legislation now defines the minimum the Prime Warden of the Worshipful acceptable purity. Company of Goldsmiths, Sir Harold The platinum Himsworth. The first piece to be hall- hallmark-an orb marked was the Platinum Medal within a pentag- awarded by the Institute of Metals in onal shield-will 1958 to the late Professor Robert be applied by the Hutton, who was the first Director of the Assay Offices in British Non-Ferrous Metals Research London and Association, at one time Goldsmiths’ Birmingham, to- Professor of Metallurgy at Cambridge gether of course and for many years Chairman of the with the appro- Assay Office committee of the Gold- priate maker’s mark, Assay Office mark smiths’ Company. This was followed and date letter, after analysis has estab- by a cup and cover designed and made lished that the alloy contains a mini- by Miss Jocelyn Burton. mum of 95 per cent of platinum. At a later ceremony the finished The method that has been adopted platinum cup was presented to the after a lengthy investigation of possible Goldsmiths’ Company jointly by means of analysis, is atomic absorption, Johnson Matthey and Rustenburg on the grounds of its suitability for use Platinum Mines.

Platinum Metals Rev., 1975, 19, (2), 63-63 63