Confirming that silver etc bought from online suppliers etc is as described.

[squishysquirmy]

I've been making a few bits of jewellery, using materials like silver wire, earring hooks, fine chains etc bought from ebay and amazon suppliers. So far I have just given the pieces away as gifts, but I am thinking about selling a few on etsy.

However, would I be really naive to trust that the silver I am buying is as described? If I am selling it on as 925 Silver, I want to be really sure that it is. They all appear to operate from UK addresses, but I know that this does not really prove anything.
Does anyone have any tips on confirming the legitimacy and reputability of online sellers, when you can't physically visit the shop?

Thanks in advance if anyone can help.

Technically the only way to prove is a hallmark, I think. When I used to work with jewellery if unsure we used to just say that it was white metal if it was not Hall marked. Now I make jewellery as a tiny offshoot to another ' craft' business (I hate the term craft, sorry) I try to buy silver but I don't 'sell' the silver aspect. I say that I bought the findings as silver but confirm that it is not hallmarked.

Thanks Outlook. Most of what I make is well under 7.78g which (as I understand it) is the weight above which silver products legally need to be hallmarked to be called "silver". I will word my descriptions very carefully though and will explain that my products are not hallmarked.
Silver wire (which is how I buy it) is also exempt from hallmarking requirements. But even if I was to buy something hallmarked from the internet, I don't now if I could be completely confident it was genuine because surely if a trader is willing to fraudulently mis-sell silver, they would also be willing to forge a hallmark? Maybe I am over thinking this a bit!

I know what you mean about the term "craft" btw. My problem at the moment is that this is a tiny, tiny hobby which I would like to try to turn into an (initially at least) teeny tiny business. But I still want to do it in a proper, "professional" manner.

This happened to me to a certain extent. I used to make copper jewelry and sell it though a shop. This was when copper bracelets were sold with medical claims, I wasn't claiming anything, mine was sold purely as jewelry. A customer quired if it was real copper, the chain of shops then put disclaimer signs up. They were made of an old copper boiler, how do you prove that! My opinion was they were seriously over thinking it and if they wanted medical benefits buy jewelry claiming medical benefits. Sales slowed a lot after that, but then the chain also was going under so who really knows.
I think if it is sold to you as 925 silver sell it as 925 silver, the problem would lie if you were calling it Sterling silver when it is not hallmarked and is in fact 925 silver. I thought 925 silver was imported and not the same as Sterling silver? I'm trying to remember 20 years ago now!
You need to be registered with the hallmark office and send your work in for them to hallmark it as I understood it? Obviously you could make your own fraudulent hallmark stamps, but I would imagine the law would come down ridiculously hard on you when caught, old money laws are high sentences. And selling fake raw materials would surely be spotted quite quickly especially with materials that you eneal, work harden, etc, it just wouldn't do as expected? I feel like I'm waffling I've missed something here or you are overthinking this.
And YY to craft, covers old beer bottles covered in glitter to Faberge!

Thanks scaredy. What happened to you sounds really annoying!

I am looking into registering with my local assay office, but I will only pay to get heavier items (chunky rings) hallmarked I think. I will also wait until I have built up a bit of stock, and get it all hallmarked at once as it is much cheaper per item this way. The wire wrapped stuff is so fine, I don't know where a stamp would go anyway and is under the weight required for hallmarking. I will just sell it as 925 silver.

At least if I do send some things off for hallmarking, I will know for sure that my supplier is legit when they pass!