PRESS RELEASE: Anna McLoughlin Fine Jewellery Wins UK Award for Hallmarking Awareness

Awarded by Assay Assured, a joint venture between the four Assay Offices of the UK (Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield), the HALO Award is given annually.

HALO recognises the UK-based jewellery business that uses their online platform in the most creative ways to leverage the added value that hallmarking provides and to educate their audience on the meaning and importance of the hallmark. Applicants this year ranged from independent makers to omni-channel retailers.

Having previously won the HALO Award in 2023, Anna McLoughlin Fine Jewellery continues to integrate a narrative around 

hallmarking into all aspects of the business. From an extensive, dedicated hallmarking page on her website, to certificates of provenance and collaborative social media posts, Anna’s efforts reassure customers that they are investing in a unique piece with an individual, built-in guarantee of quality. Anna’s clear, consistent and impactful story telling around the hallmarking process stood out.

‘I’m absolutely thrilled to have won the HALO award for a second time,’ said Anna McLoughlin, founder of Anna McLoughlin Fine Jewellery.  I feel that hallmarking, and raising awareness of it amongst both my clients and fellow micro-businesses, is incredibly important. It adds prestige to a piece and is a legal guarantee that the quality of the metal is actually what I say it is!’

2025’s judging panel comprised of:

• Eda Obermanns – Digital lead at Edinburgh Assay Office and Assay Assured
• Mari MacDonald – Product lead and head auditor at Assay Assured
• Ashley Carson – Assay Master and CEO – Sheffield Assay Office
• Doug Henry – Assay Master and CEO – Birmingham Assay Office
• Will Evans – Director – London Assay Office
• Scott Walter – Assay Master and CEO – Edinburgh Assay Office
• Ben Massey – CEO – The National Association of Jewellers

The Judges unanimously commended Anna’s creativity, transparency and clear communication, implementing efforts above and beyond the minimum requirements set out in the UK’s Hallmarking legislation.

‘Hallmarking is the oldest existing form of consumer protection and product traceability, and it remains a cornerstone of consumer protection in the UK jewellery industry. It gives consumers an independent, third-party guarantee when they are buying jewellery. Jewellery can be traced back to those that made it or placed it on the market. Other industries are pushing hard to introduce transparency and traceability—the jewellery industry has always had this in the hallmark.’ said Scott Walter, Assay Master & CEO of Edinburgh Assay Office. ‘It’s important to recognise businesses like Anna’s who see the value of the simple hallmark and work creatively and consistently to leverage that value at point of sale and beyond.”

By law, all items described as being made from precious metals above certain weight limits must be hallmarked by one of the four UK Assay Offices. The hallmark confirms the metal’s purity, identifies the individual or business putting the item on the market and ultimately protects both consumers and retailers from counterfeiting and false descriptions.

The judging panel also Highly Commended the runner-up applicant, The Ouze, by Toby Vernon and Joe Sturgis. The Ouze, based in Brighton, have built hallmarking into the design ethos of their brand.

The Award will be presented at the annual Benevolent Society Ball in Birmingham.

About the HALO Award:

Hallmarking Awareness & Learning Online

Launched in 2021, the HALO Award is managed by Assay Assured, a joint initiative between the four Assay Offices in the UK: Birmingham, Edinburgh, London and Sheffield. The Award is further supported by the National Association of Jeweller’s and the British Hallmarking Council.

The Award’s creation stemmed from the ideas of the late Chris Sellors of CW Sellors. Chris was passionate about hallmarking and committed to promoting its value to the industry in new and creative ways.

About Assay Assured:

Assay Assured is administered by the Edinburgh Assay Office on behalf of the four Assay Offices of the UK (Edinburgh, Sheffield, Birmingham and London).

The four UK Assay Offices are independent, not-for-profit regulators.  They have a statutory duty to provide a hallmarking service to the industry for compliance with the 1973 Hallmarking Act. To do this, they “assay,” or measure the precious metal content of articles described as being made of precious metal. If the precious metal content matches the description given, a hallmark is then applied to confirm it has been tested.

The UK Assay Offices apply hallmarks to articles of gold, silver, platinum and palladium in compliance with national and international regulations. They have provided this service, without interruption, for over 700 years.