British Hallmarking Council Information
“I just bought a solid silver pendant and it doesn’t have a hallmark does this mean its fake “
Hi. Platinum, palladium, gold and silver jewelery is normally hallmarked. This is effectively a stamp on the item of jewelery to certify that the raw material which is used to make the jewelery is what it says it is. Items which are hallmarked have to be sent to an assay office where they are independently verified by testing a small sample of the metal. In the UK there are 3 compulsory parts to a hallmark which are the maker’s mark, the assay office mark (there are 4 assay offices throughout the UK) and the standard of fineness of the metal (.925 for silver, the number of carats of gold etc…).
Having read that you are probably thinking that just because your pendant doesn’t have a silver hallmark on it its not actually sterling silver, but that might not necessarily be true either. If an item of jewelery is below a certain weight, 7.8g for silver and 1g for gold (no matter what its purity) then it does not have to be assayed and stamped. This is for practical reasons as assaying an item of jewelery can often be a considerable expense and the customer would have this cost passed on to them. If you have a really small, inexpensive item of jewelery, for example a charm or a pendant which might weigh less than a gram, then the extra cost and administration of having it assayed and stamped would push the price up way too much.
I would guess therefore that your pendant does not have a hallmark because it weighs less than 7.8g, so it might be worth weighing it on some very accurate scales if you are unsure! If you bought it from a reputable jeweler then you have nothing to worry about, but if you are still very concerned then all shops should allow you to take the item back for a refund or a replacement. Lastly if its a really nice pendant that you love, then you could always have the item assayed yourself, however this might be very expensive!