News
Assay Masters overview of 2008 and new pricing structure click here
Incorporation of Goldsmiths Historical Database
January 25th is the launch date for the Incorporation of Goldsmiths Historical Database . This database enables you to match an item with an Edinburgh hallmark to its maker and provides brief biographical information on the maker. It brings together much of the known information on the goldsmiths of Edinburgh from the Twelfth Century to the Twentieth Century. The Hallmarking Archive Database contains over four thousand biographies and numerous illustrations of makers' marks and covers the period from the first mention of a mint-master in Edinburgh in 1136 to c1986.
Important information about marking articles containing precious metal and base metal.
As you may well be aware the UK Assay Offices are now able to hallmark articles consisting of precious metal and base metal. Click here to download the latest additional guidelines for marking such items
New Online Tracking System Launched by the Assay Office in Scotland
The Assay Office in Scotland has launched a new on-line tracking system which promises to provide a new level of transparency and service for its many customers.
Through a secure web link, clients who send work to the Assay Office can now track its progress every step of the way, from the moment of posting until its safe return.
Thanks to the new system, clients will now be able to access their Assay Office account from anywhere in the world. The system is easy and straightforward to use and, once an account is set up, client information is retained for future use, making it fast and efficient too.
Once the on-line booking form is submitted the job details, including the customer reference, appear in the Assay Office system as a pending order. The same form can also be printed off and included with the parcel.
On receipt at The Assay Office, the parcel's bar code is scanned and its status appears as 'received' on the website. Further updates allow the customer to continue tracking progress of the job until its completion when an email is sent from the Assay Office to notify that the goods have been despatched. The email will also include details of any tracking reference involved, which will allow the customer to continue tracking the parcel through Royal Mail or courier.
Assay Master Scott Walter says: "We are constantly seeking ways in which we can improve and update the service which we offer to our customers and, thanks to the use of technology; we have now been able to make the submission of goods for hallmarking easier than it has ever been. "At the same time we have also ensured true transparency for our customers - they can track their work every step of the way and we can now plan for work that we have yet to receive. "The system is very easy to use and thanks to the rise of on-line banking and shopping, web forms are now more common than their paper equivalent."
The new system will also allow customers to view details of past orders and to reprint copy invoices. No extra software is needed and customers can also access the tracking system alone without submitting parcels.
Customers can register for the service by contacting Angela Houliston at angela@assay-office.co.uk or by calling 0131 556 1144.
Download as PDF here