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  Restrictions on Nickel Release All items which are to be sold in the EU which are intended to come into prolonged and direct contact with the skin must comply with Nickel legislation and not release Nickel above the permitted levels. Compliance is particularly important for items intended to be inserted into the skin as items will pierce the skin and so nickel is more likely to leach into the body. This can cause irreversible Nickel sensitisation. Permitted limits for such items a…

Recently at Assay Office Birmingham a lovely lady came to register her Sponsor's mark with us and we thought it would be nice to share the interesting articles she has begun submitting for Hallmarking. The design is a necklace with 4 figures representing children of 4 different nationalities. Afro Caribbean, Chinese, Indian, and European. Each child has an Acorn on their foot. Kathleen found a Birmingham based manufacturer to make the necklace for her in 925 silver and submitted her first …

Assay Office Birmingham is looking forward to seeing a lovely bunch of NAG members tomorrow! For those of you attending the Valuers Conference this weekend, we look forward to seeing you all there! www.theassayoffice.co.uk

 Treatment of coloured stones to enhance their colour and clarity is a centuries -old practice. However, it appears to have taken on a new dimension in recent years, driven partly by advances in technology. Marie Chalmers DGA, FGA  a tutor for the Education and Training  division who delivers the “Understanding Coloured Gemstones” course at  Assay Office Birmingham explains more. ANTIQUE JEWELLERY The disclosure of glass filled rubies is not only an issue for retai…