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[email protected]Niton XL2 Series Analyzers enable the exact elemental analysis of precious metal content in jewellery, coins, and other valuable products. This equipment provides an instant and non-destructive way to analyse the alloys of a material and can be used to measure the content of all precious metals present as a percentage of the total item content. As a jewellery retailer the alloys we usually experience are: gold (Au), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd). However, this impressive machine is able to create a standard analytical range of 30 elements, from sulphur to uranium.
The analyser permits precise determination of the presence and concentration of other trace alloying elements.
Here at AC Silver, we have many pieces of jewellery which bear hallmarks, however they do not all have this feature. A hallmark can serve as the purity guarantee, whilst also declaring that the item has met the standards set by the designated origin country. However, not all countries have a mandatory hallmarking law which means that many regions do not require a stamp on their pieces. For many different areas there are many items exempt from being hallmarked due to their small size or value; where a hallmark would compromise the structure of the piece. There is also the cost involved in getting pieces hallmarked and the time taken in this process also, so many jewellers will avoid the hallmarking process (country depending) and this is where the analyzers are useful to determine the authenticity of a piece.
You may find that an item of jewellery is hallmarked and then still tested, and there are reasons that jewellers may do this. Firstly, a setting metal may not be hallmarked within the main marks and require further testing to confirm the alloy and/or fineness. Secondly, there are many countries which will hallmark with a mark which denotes the minimum fineness of a gold, and the analyser can confirm the accurate value. Thirdly, the purity is the most common hallmark on an item, ranging from figural to icon markings, however, on some occasions a country mark may be struck and this leaves the quality of the metal as an unknown.
The final reason you may find an item has been tested is because the hallmark is not clear, whether this is through the nature of the location or the age of the piece, and here at AC Silver have our jewellery tested for clarity to ensure that the correct information is being shared.