The Dublin Assay Office is considered to be one of the world’s oldest assay offices. It was established in 1637 with the purpose of ensuring that only the highest quality gold and silver were used in the production of jewelry throughout the whole of Ireland. The assay office is a sign of quality and trustworthiness, and it is still present today on the grounds of Dublin Castle. Each item of Irish fine jewelry that we sell and stated imported from Ireland continues to be hallmarked in the traditional manner by the assay office.

Irish Hallmarks from the Dublin Castle Assay Office

The presence of an Irish hallmark on an item indicates that it has been examined by an impartial organization and provides reassurance that the metal has at least one of the acceptable levels of fineness or purity. A hallmark identifies the material from which an item is crafted. For example, a 14K gold hallmark will have the numbers 14 and 585 stamped into it. The number 585 indicates that the item is composed of 58.5 percent pure gold. The remaining 41.5 percent will be comprised of various alloys and precious metals.

If the sterling silver or gold jewelry that was imported from Ireland has a hallmark from the Assay Office located in Dublin Castle, this information is included in the thorough description of the piece. When you buy any piece of silver or gold jewelry from The Irish Jewelry Company, you can rest confident that it is of the highest possible quality. This applies to all of the company’s products.