Frequently asked questions

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Gold has to be hallmarked from 1 gram, silver from 8 grams and platinum from 0.5 grams.

The Hallmarks page gives an up-to-date overview of the countries where the WaarborgHolland hallmark is accepted.

Our counter is open Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 16.00. Closed between 12.15 and 13.00

The normal turnaround time for consignments is 5 working days. For example, you send your consignment on Monday, WaarborgHolland receives it on Tuesday and sends it back on Monday.

Urgent means that your consignment is sent back the same day. A surcharge of 20% on the hallmarking costs applies. (Urgent consignments are subject to availability and depend on quantities.)

Waiting means that your consignment is processed immediately and that you can wait for it and take it with you straight afterwards. A (waiting) surcharge of 100% is charged for waiting. At some times of day it is possible to wait for your consignment without a surcharge. Some conditions apply. See "Urgent or in a hurry?" A maximum of 20 items applies to waiting. (Waiting treatments are subject to availability.)

The waiting service is available every working day between 8.30 and 12.00. It is sensible, though, to call ahead to say you want to use the waiting service, so that we can serve you as well as possible.

If you wish, you can use a carrier other than the post. You can instruct your carrier yourself to collect a consignment from us. WaarborgHolland can also arrange this for you. Just contact us on +31 182 589300

As standard, all consignments are sent back with Mikropakket. With Mikropakket your consignment is covered up to €5,500.00 as standard. Where possible, your batches can be insured through Mikropakket up to €10,000.00. If you have your own transport arrangement that covers your consignments, you can let us know. That saves you unnecessary costs. Do tell us if you want the consignment insured for a different transport value.

If you send consignments to us with PostNL, please use our visiting address: Lorentzstraat 5, 2665 JG Bleiswijk. Unless agreed otherwise, we send your goods back with Mikropakket. With Mikropakket your consignment is covered up to €5,500.00 as standard.

No, we do not send consignments back by post. We send these consignments back with Mikropakket. With Mikropakket your consignment is covered up to €5,500.00 as standard.

Yes, Mikropakket can deliver consignments on Saturdays. There are no extra costs for this. Mikropakket does not deliver to PO box addresses!

A fineness mark is a mark that indicates the fineness of the precious metal present in the item.

This is one of the hallmarks that WaarborgHolland, as an independent assay office, can apply to platinum, gold and silver jewellery and utensils. See our site for an overview of these

The CCM hallmark is a separate hallmark used in 18 European countries, see http://www.hallmarkingconvention.org/index.php. A CCM hallmark consists of four marks: a fineness indication, a responsibility mark, a fineness mark and an assay office mark.

A responsibility mark shows who made an article or placed it on the market.

You can download forms from the website for applying for and registering your own responsibility mark. You can fill in the forms and send them to us by post or by e-mail, together with a copy of your registration with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK).

If you do not have a responsibility mark, we can temporarily strike the WaarborgHolland responsibility mark in your items. There are extra costs for this (see the list of fees). You do need to apply to WaarborgHolland for a responsibility mark of your own.

You may strike your own responsibility mark yourself. You may also have us strike your mark, or have WaarborgHolland engrave your mark into your items with the laser.

Yes, please contact us about this on +31 182 589300, or log in to your WaarborgHolland account for the options and competitive rates.

Yes, you can also have the required marks applied to your goods by laser engraving. This is particularly useful for fragile items. Alongside your RM and the hallmark, you can also have your logo engraved.

All standard Windows typefaces can be used. Please state the typeface clearly. There is also the option of having letters or images digitised at extra cost. Please note that not all typefaces are freely available; you will have to supply special typefaces yourself. Nor are all typefaces available, such as specific typefaces used by brands. In that case we can look for a typeface that comes as close as possible.

You need to supply an image, preferably in jpg or jpeg format, with as high a contrast as possible.

By law, it may only be hallmarked at the lowest fineness present, in this case 585 thousandths (=14 ct).

If you did not make the jewellery yourself and it was sold to you fully finished, you do not need to include it.
If you do make the jewellery, you are formally required to include test metal.
If the test metal is missing, in some cases we have to take material from the items for a sample, after which we repair the items again.
We charge you for the costs of this.

It is best to submit the jewellery clearly separated, so that the pieces cannot get mixed up. Please include a note with the jewellery stating the fineness.
If several precious metal finenesses are submitted mixed together, we may charge for sorting them.

You do not need to send the non-metal part, but please do state that the piece of jewellery will be mounted with it.
Remember that if the weight of precious metal is below the legal weight limit, you are not required to have it hallmarked.

In this case we are required to strike an indication "METAL" or "MET" on the item, preferably on the base metal part.
Remember that the consumer must be able to recognise the base metal part clearly, and that the hallmark has to be struck on the precious metal part.
One example is red gold with steel: the hallmark is placed on the red gold and the indication "METAAL" on the steel. Another example: rhodium-plated white gold with steel. This item cannot be hallmarked, because it is not clear to the consumer what is precious metal and what is not.
If in doubt, call us and we will do our best to advise you as well as we can.

Not at all, but do remember to send all the parts of the item, and put all the parts of each item in a minigrip bag. If it is unclear what kind of item it will eventually become, it is advisable to include a short description to avoid questions.

The fee depends on the number of items. For the price tiers, see the list of fees.

Applying for and registering your own responsibility mark costs €99.50. This is a one-off cost.

A knee punch costs €189 and a straight punch €159.

These are the costs of unpacking and repacking your parcel and getting it ready for shipping. You can avoid these costs by using an exchange box, see "Save money".

A knee punch is a punch with a bend in it, used to stamp the inside of rings.

An extra strike is WaarborgHolland striking, for example, your responsibility mark next to the fineness mark.

To order an additional responsibility mark punch, send an e-mail to info@waarborg.nl. Please state your registration number and the kind of punch you want to order.

You can order an additional responsibility mark punch. An additional knee punch costs €189 and a straight punch €159.