Certification

Each piece of Galantas certified Irish gold jewellery comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Galantas Irish Gold Ltd warrants that the gold used in the production of Galantas jewellery is of Irish origin and sourced from the Cavancaw Mine, County Tyrone. The 18ct Irish gold is hallmarked with an International Convention hall-mark or assay office mark. It carries additionally, in most cases, the Galantas name and logo. Each piece is individually numbered.

Jewellery fittings (known as findings), such as earring butterflies, or chain are supplied in gold of world-wide origin.

 

Assay Office Marks

Every item of gold and silver over a certain weight sold in Ireland, the United Kingdom or certain other countries, must under consumer protection law, carry the proper official marks. The marks used are usually:-

A Common Control Mark (scales with 750 within)

An Assay Office Mark denoting which Office applied the marks.

A Responsibility (Makers) Mark (in our case OML or GAL)

A Fineness Mark (750) denoting 18 carat gold

During manufacture of an item, the goldsmith or silversmith must submit his pieces for testing. If the proper gold content is met (according to one of the legal standards of fineness or purity), the assay office will apply the corresponding marks. There are currently five Assay offices authorised in Ireland and the UK. Galantas pieces may bear the marks of Dublin, Edinburgh or Birmingham offices.

Galantas Irish gold pieces use 18 carat gold which is made from 18 parts of gold out of 24 (or 750 out of 1000). The remaining parts are used to harden the gold, give it the correct metallurgical properties for the manufacturing technique employed and colour the gold.

The usual yellow gold colour uses silver as the main hardening alloy metal. In the case of white gold, Galantas use palladium as an important alloying constituent. The use of palladium, whilst more expensive than the more commonly used nickel, avoids the potential for allergic reaction to nickel and produces an excellent white gold. The use of palladium, which is itself a precious metal, does incur extra cost and for this reason Galantas white gold pieces tend to be a little more expensive than the yellow version.

Further information on Assay Office Marks, the Convention Marks and procedures can be obtained from :- http://www.theassayoffice.com/images/pdfs/Hallmarking%20Brochure.pdf