A straightforward journey into Sheffield and before we knew it we were getting off the coach at the Assay Office where we were greeted by Emma the Librarian. We had coffee and then a tour of the library before being given a short presentation on the history of hallmarking and how the Sheffield Office was created.
We were then taken down to the work area where thousands of items of jewellery – gold, silver, platinum and palladium were being hallmarked every day. Due to the value of the items it is very secure and we had to walk through a metal detector before being allowed in.
There were low power x-ray machines and other equipment to analyse the different items so they could be hallmarked depending on their quality. Although a lot of the work was high tech there were some tasks that appeared to be very tedious for example stamping a 9ct gold mark on hundreds of items by hand. Some pieces of jewellery are so delicate that these are laser marked rather than stamped.
After our tour we were whisked off to the city centre where we were dropped off at the Winter Gardens for lunch (baked potato or soup). After lunch we were free to wander around the art galleries within the Winter Gardens. Unfortunately two out of the four galleries were closed for a change of exhibits however the artwork presented by university students was thought provoking and interesting.
A wet walk around the city centre, including a look inside the cathedral and then a tour of Cutlers’ Hall. The Cutler’s Company is a guild which holds the rights to the phrase “Made in Sheffield” and this can only be used by tableware makers in an area around Sheffield. For those pedants amongst we were pleased to learn that cutlery only refers to items with a cutting edge – forks and spoons are flatware. Who knew that? The building is truly magnificent with chandeliers and wall panelling from famous liners (sister ships to the Titanic). We finished the tour with coffee and cookies before heading home in the rain.
A special thank you to Brian who guided us through the tours and made sure we didn’t get lost in the city centre.
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