Hi Lou, You can find the info on Birmingham Assay Office website.
http://www.theassayoffice.co.uk
First you would need to orderthe sponsor’s mark (I can’t remember how
much it cost - UKP 60 or UKP 90) and also you need to register as a
sponsor. The registration is valid for 10 years and after that you
can renew it, if you wish. Every time you are sending a parcel you
would need to fill in a sample note. If you are sending silver and
gold items, you would need two sample notes, as they would consider
the parcel as two jobs (one silver, one gold). There is a charge for
each parcel - UKP 10 + hallmarking charges per piece. Also, they
don’t insure the items whilst in their possession, so you would have
to have a suitable insurance in place. The only time when they would
compensate for an item damaged whilst in their possession is when
their staff damaged it on purpose. And even then, they would only
compensate the amount of raw materials, not the market value of the
item.If you have any questions, you can ring the Assay office.
The staff is really helpful.
Good luck, Lilia