Sourcing silver jewellery and silver from China

Duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, silver in unwrought form and semi-manufactured silver carried 0% duty on goods from China, and articles of jewellery and goldsmiths' or silversmiths' wares of silver carried 2%. No line carried an anti-dumping measure. For silver in powder form, see our silver powder sourcing guide. For bullion, see our silver bullion bar sourcing guide. For silver leaf, see our silver leaf sourcing guide.

Fashion jewellery of base metal is a different product; the jewellery guide covers the whole category, and the findings guide the components. For cufflinks, see our base-metal cufflink sourcing guide. For necklaces, see our base-metal fashion necklace sourcing guide.

Hallmarking

Under the Hallmarking Act 1973, an article cannot be described as silver in the UK unless it is hallmarked, subject to exemptions. Paragraph 12 of Part II of Schedule 1 exempts articles containing only one precious metal of minimum fineness and below a set weight: 7.78 grams for silver, 1 gram for gold, 0.5 gram for platinum and 1 gram for palladium. Paragraph 12(2) limits the exemption for some articles made from 2008 or containing non-precious materials, so check the rule for each design.

A heavier silver piece without a legally recognised hallmark generally goes to a UK assay office for testing and marking before sale, unless another exemption applies, which takes time and adds cost. Plan assay into the lead time, and ask the factory for the fineness of every component, including clasps and solder, because an article that fails assay cannot be sold as silver. For silver-case watches, see our gold and silver case watches guide.

Plating, nickel and stones

Sterling silver is often rhodium or gold plated; state the plating and its thickness, and ask for a nickel release test for items worn against the skin. Stones and settings should be named and checked, and any claim about a stone must be supported. For pearl and gemstone jewellery, see our pearl and gemstone sourcing guide.

Weigh and test samples from production at inspection, because silver price moves make lighter-than-sample pieces a common substitution.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 5,000 sterling silver necklaces under 7113 11 00 00. At £30,000 free on board and £800 to ship and insure, the customs value is £30,800. Silver jewellery at 2% pay £616 of duty; VAT is then worked out on value plus duty, £31,416, giving £6,283.20. Of the £6,899.20 paid at import, only the £616 of duty stays a cost for a VAT-registered business. Freight assumes air, which is normal for jewellery. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Fineness: screen every style with XRF, and have a sample of each alloy lot tested for silver content by the potentiometric method of ISO 11427 or by a UK assay office, including solder and findings.

Skin contact metals: test nickel release to BS EN 1811 on parts in prolonged skin contact against entry 27 of UK REACH Annex XVII, and check cadmium and lead against entries 23 and 63 on any base-metal findings.

Weight, plating and marks: weigh every piece in the sample on a calibrated scale against the agreed tolerance, measure rhodium or gold plating thickness by X-ray fluorescence to ISO 3497, and check hallmarks on pieces over 7.78 grams.

What goes wrong

Silver jewellery fails on fineness, plating and findings. Pieces sold as 925 sterling test lower because the alloy was diluted, rhodium or gold plating wears through in weeks, and clasps, jump rings and ear posts are made of base metal that releases nickel or breaks. Stones fall out of weak settings, chains snap at the solder points, and pieces over the hallmarking weight exemption arrive without a plan to hallmark them before sale.

Test fineness on samples with XRF and send pieces over 7.78 grams to a UK assay office for hallmarking, check plating thickness and wear, test findings for nickel release and pull-test clasps and chains, check stone settings under magnification, weigh pieces against the agreed tolerance, and pack with anti-tarnish bags.

Buying by weight

Silver jewellery is usually priced as metal weight plus labour, so agree the metal price reference and the weight tolerance per piece in the order, and reconcile on delivery.

Cambridge China Bridge sources sterling silver jewellery and silverware, with fineness, weight and plating specified and UK assay planned into the lead time. See how our sourcing service works. For trade in the opposite direction, see our guide to exporting jewellery to China.