Guides
Made in Hatton Garden: how an Amada piece is sourced, made and hallmarked
Quick answer
What "made in Hatton Garden" should mean
Hatton Garden has been London's jewellery quarter for more than a century. The reputation came from density — cutters, setters, polishers, mounters and dealers packed close enough to walk a stone between benches in an afternoon. That density is real, and it still matters.
Plenty of good jewellers work with partners outside London — that is normal in this industry, not a scandal. What we can speak for is our own process: where the stone came from, who set it, and which Assay Office tested the metal.
Here is how that works for us, in order.
Stage one — sourcing the stone
Most of what we sell is lab-grown. Those stones come from a small number of named growers we buy from directly, and every one above 0.30ct arrives with its own IGI or GIA report — an independent grading of cut, colour, clarity and carat, tied to that individual stone by a laser inscription on the girdle.
Natural stones come through established London trade channels we have been buying from for three generations — the same relationships behind BuyFineDiamonds. Knowing the people on the other side of a stone is not a marketing position, it is simply how this quarter has always worked, and it is why we can tell you where something came from rather than reading it off a docket.
Either way, the report number goes on the product page. You can look the stone up on the laboratory's own database, from your phone, before you have given us a penny. We would rather you did.
Stage two — the metal
Gold arrives as alloy from UK bullion dealers. That means we know the fineness going in, and casting for our pieces happens in the quarter rather than arriving as a finished mount we cannot account for.
We work in 18ct as standard — 750 parts gold per thousand — and in 950 platinum. Nine carat is available on request, and we will tell you honestly when it is the better answer for a piece and when it is a false economy.
Stage three — the bench
The piece is cast, filed and pre-polished, then it goes to a setter. Setting is the stage that decides whether a ring survives twenty years of being knocked against door handles, and it is the stage that cannot be rushed or automated. A claw that is a fraction under-tucked will catch on a jumper in the first week and lose a stone in the first year.
After setting comes final polishing, rhodium plating where the design calls for it, and inspection. Most made-to-order pieces reach this point in about two to three weeks.
It is skilled, careful work — and the reason to care about it is practical: a well-set claw is what keeps the stone in the ring.
Stage four — London hallmarking
Before anything leaves us, precious metal goes to the Assay Office London. They test it independently and strike a hallmark into the metal. This is not a marketing step and it is not optional — it is a legal requirement in the UK for precious metal above the statutory weight thresholds, and it is the single most useful piece of proof you will get.
A UK hallmark carries a sponsor's mark saying who submitted the piece, a fineness number in parts per thousand, and a town mark. The leopard's head is London. Read the full explanation in our guide to London hallmarks.
The distinction worth holding on to: certificates grade diamonds, hallmarks assay metal. They are different proofs of different things.
The process, end to end
| Stage | Where | Proof you get |
|---|---|---|
| Stone sourced | Direct from named growers and London trade channels | IGI / GIA report number, laser inscription |
| Metal sourced | UK bullion dealers | Stated fineness — 18ct / 950 platinum |
| Cast and mounted | Hatton Garden | Made in the quarter |
| Set and finished | Hatton Garden | Lifetime resizing, manufacturing warranty |
| Hallmarked | Assay Office London | Independent UK hallmark struck in the metal |
Why we do it this way
Because it keeps the answers simple. We can tell you where the stone came from, what the metal is, and that the piece was finished and London-hallmarked before it left us. That is enough for most people — and it is what we mean by made in Hatton Garden.
It is also part of why the pricing works the way it does. That argument has its own page: how our pricing works.
Come and look
Showroom: 34 Greville Street, EC1N 8TB. Workshop and offices: Unit 8, 88–90 Hatton Garden, EC1N 8PN. Book through contact us, or ask on WhatsApp if you are not in London and we will do it on video.
Amada is the consumer storefront of a family that has been in this trade for three generations — the trade side is BuyFineDiamonds, and the full story is on our story page.