LONDON, April 6, 2010 – The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office London will again take part in ‘London Jewellery Week’ which runs from 7 – 13 June.
The Assay Office London will hold a Fakes and Forgeries Seminar focusing on Jewellery and two Hallmarking Workshops for Consumers.
Staff will also be demonstrating live hallmarking at the Hatton Garden Festival which takes place on Saturday 12 June.
THE JEWELLERY FAKES AND FORGERIES SEMINAR, the first of its kind, is a follow on from the renowned Silver Fakes and Forgeries Seminar.
It will take place at the Goldsmiths Hall on Friday 11 June.
Jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn from the BBC’s television programme Antiques Roadshow will be talking about the Psychology of Fakes and Faking.
Other renowned specialists will be covering such subjects as the faking of hallmarks, counterfeit watches and synthetic and treated gems.
The afternoon will comprise practical table sessions looking at a variety of counterfeit jewellery items, gemstones, watches, and silverware from some of the most famous faked names including Fabergé, Tiffany and Cartier.
THE HALLMARKING WORKSHOP FOR CONSUMERS has been tailored specifically to educate the general public about the importance of hallmarking.
Staff from Assay Office London will spend time explaining the law that surrounds this age old form of consumer protection, what the marks actually mean and how they are applied along with the opportunity to test a personal item of jewellery for its precious metal content with the most modern assaying device – an X-ray-fluorescence spectrometer.
THE HATTON GARDEN FESTIVAL incorporates a wide selection of different ‘zones’ open to the public and offers a rare opportunity for visitors to go behind the scenes of this exclusive industry.
Visitors will be able to view the different stages of jewellery manufacture right up to the point of sale, including the hallmarking process, which is a legal requirement for precious metal objects.
Assay Office London’s Greville Street sub-office opened in December 2006 and since then has played a major part of the Hatton Garden community.
Members of staff will be on hand to answer any questions on the world of hallmarking as well as demonstrating the age-old process of assaying and hallmarking.
Visitors will be given the opportunity to test personal items of jewellery for the precious metal content and children will be able to try their hand and stamping a mark to take home with them.
