Birmingham Assay Office: the anchor at the heart of the Jewellery Quarter

Look closely at a piece of British silver or gold and you may spot a tiny anchor. That mark has connected Birmingham to the precious metals trade for more than 250 years, thanks to the Birmingham Assay Office.

Its story began with a problem. In the 18th century, solid silver had to be assayed, and the nearest offices were in Chester and London. Matthew Boulton and other Birmingham industrialists joined Sheffield silversmiths in petitioning Parliament, and in 1773 an Act was passed allowing both towns to open assay offices.

The Birmingham office opened on 31 August 1773 with four staff in three rooms at the King's Head Inn on New Street, and at first it opened only on Tuesdays. Its very first customer was Matthew Boulton himself. A popular story says the anchor for Birmingham and the crown for Sheffield were chosen by the toss of a coin at the Crown and Anchor Tavern in London, where early meetings were held.

The office moved several times before settling in a purpose-built home on Newhall Street in 1877. In 2015 it moved again, to a new building on Moreton Street in the Jewellery Quarter, which features special bricks carrying hallmark symbols and houses its historic Silver Collection.

Today the Birmingham Assay Office is described as the world's largest, hallmarking around 12 million items a year and offering services from metal analysis to gem certification.

Its 250th anniversary in 2023 was celebrated in true Quarter style. Local businesses were invited behind the scenes to meet experts and have a go at hallmarking by hand. A sterling silver candelabra was commissioned from L J Millington, a family-owned Jewellery Quarter business established in 1968, set with a 1.17 carat laboratory-grown diamond and inspired by an anniversary logo designed by Birmingham City University student Caitlin Beale. Chief executive Doug Henry unveiled it during Heritage Week, and it joined the Silver Collection.

When an international panel visited in 2025 to judge Birmingham's bid for World Craft City status, the Assay Office was one of their stops. The bid succeeded, and the city is now one of only a handful of World Craft Cities in Europe.

Hallmarking and testing services are listed on the Birmingham Assay Office website.