London Trading Standards has received the British Hallmarking Council’s Touchstone Award 2025 in recognition of its enforcement and educational work through Operation Stamping It Out, a programme aimed at improving compliance with the Hallmarking Act 1973.
The operation, launched in 2023, is funded by the London Assay Office and delivered by WRi Group.
Targeted Enforcement Across London
Operation Stamping It Out brings together Trading Standards teams from eight London boroughs and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The initiative combines retailer education, intelligence-led inspections, and enforcement measures to uphold hallmarking requirements.
Since its inception, the programme has generated 132 intelligence reports and led to visits to 311 jewellery retailers. These inspections—across market stalls, high street outlets, and luxury retailers—resulted in over 200 warnings and the seizure of more than £250,000 worth of non-compliant silver and gold jewellery. According to the operation’s findings, over 75% of businesses visited were in breach of the Act, mainly due to the failure to display the required dealer’s notice.
Gaps in Awareness and Intentional Non-Compliance
Graham Mogg, CEO of WRi Group, stated: “It’s clear that many retailers and manufacturers of precious metal jewellery are unaware of the Hallmarking Act, or their obligations under it. Operation Stamping It Out shows that providing easy to understand information about the Act to the trade, and hands-on support to Trading Standards teams is key to improving the situation.”
However, the operation also identified deliberate non-compliance, particularly through online marketplaces. Intelligence and test purchases led to enforcement action in June 2024 across Camden and Waltham Forest, resulting in further seizures and an ongoing criminal prosecution, supported by expert evidence from the London Assay Office.
Broader Implications for the Industry
The National Association of Jewellers (NAJ) highlighted the wider significance of the operation. At the Chartered Trading Standards Institute’s 2025 conference, NAJ Chief Executive Ben Massey commented: “Operation Stamping It Out has laid bare the serious threat that the illicit trade in un-hallmarked precious metals poses to consumers and to the UK jewellery industry—an industry worth £10 billion annually and supporting over 60,000 jobs… It is imperative that Trading Standards teams and related agencies come together to adopt and implement a similar programme nationally.”
National Expansion Planned
With the initiative now extending beyond London—with local authorities in Milton Keynes and Southampton preparing to participate—more than 300 retailer visits are planned by the end of 2026. The London Assay Office continues to support these efforts.
Will Evans, Director of the London Assay Office, said: “We are incredibly proud to support Operation Stamping It Out, and thrilled that the collaboration between WRi Group and London Trading Standards – which has seen more than £250,000 of illegal items removed from the streets so far – has been recognised with the 2025 Touchstone Award. The dedication and professionalism shown by the teams from the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Camden, Westminster, Hackney, Ealing, Waltham Forest, and Newham, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to protecting consumers and businesses, shows how much can be achieved when we work together towards a common goal.”
