ZA Stamps

New ZA design stamps now in stock without surrounding border.

In 2011 the Standards division of the SABS published a revised edition of a hallmarking standard for articles made of precious metals. It consists of the letters ‘ZA’ encased in an oval, denoting South Africa as country of origin.  A year mark is not required but it was recommended that the grade marking content be indicated alongside the ZA mark. This is then followed by the individual maker’s mark. This recommendation was written into legislation and finally enacted in 2013 where all South African-made precious metal products above 1 gram in weight are required to comply with the specifications. Individual maker’s marks remained optional.

Hallmarking your jewellery

A hallmark is a mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals ( like platinum ,palladium , gold, or silver ), manufacturer & or country. Hallmarks should guarantee a certain purity or fineness of the metal. NB! Hallmarking systems differ from country to country.

Did you know we sell a large range of hammers , marking pliers , brass stamping jigs & hallmarks with caratages or symbols & images.

Tips for making a clear mark:

If you stamp an item and only see a faint image, this means that you did not give it enough pressure. Use a heavier hammer but do not go overboard- if the hammer is too heavy you will damage the tip of your stamp, do not use a rubber mallet or raw hide hammer as it does not deliver the correct blow. Make sure that whatever you are striking is on a firm surface such rubber matting or wood. If you use an anvil or steel stamping block be mindful not to stamp too hard as this will also damage your stamps tip. Wooden desktops or rubber padded desks are all create different conditions for stamping metal. The desk will absorb most of the impact, requiring you to hit the stamp with more force, and anything that isn’t glued to the desk usually goes flying during the stamping process, stamping on a wooden support will create the least amount of damage on the opposite side you stamping on BUT this effects your stamping “power”. Some people do their stamping on concrete floors or cinder blocks. Although it sounds funny, it can work. The item being struck takes all of the impact. Only stamp once do not hit the stamp multiple times as it will create duplicates. Annealing your piece before stamping will also assist in stamping a nice crisp clear design.