The London Silver Vaults is a collection of family-owned shops, specialising in fine silver and silver plate; antique, modern and contemporary. In fact, it houses the largest selection of silverware for sale to the public in the world, including rare watches and fine jewellery.
Yes, the arcade of independent silverware shops is open to the public and trade alike. No appointment is necessary. Just come right in.
The nearest underground station is Chancery Lane on the Central Line and it is just a four-minute walk to our entrance on Southampton Buildings. Being below ground, The London Silver Vaults has no pavement-level shop windows. Instead, we have a discrete but clearly-signed entrance leading to two lifts or a flight of stairs down to the shops below.
Monday - Friday: 9:00 am – 5:20 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am – 12:50 pm
Sunday: closed
Bank holidays: closed
No appointment necessary
All the dealers in The Silver Vaults are experts and knowledgeable about the pieces they sell. They can advise on everything from what a hallmark means to the best way to clean silver and take proper care of the piece. Many are members of the prestigious trade associations LAPADA and BADA, abiding by their strict membership criteria regarding experience, quality of antiques and knowledge of their field. Buying from any of The Silver Vaults dealers affords customers the legal protection provided under law. If buying at auction the onus is on the buyer to ensure the article is genuine and the warning adage ‘caveat emptor’ or ‘buyer beware’ applies to all goods purchased at auction.
Depending on the item, the shop owners may be interested in purchasing good quality pieces of silver from you. Send an enquiry via email, providing as much detail as possible; photos that include makers’ marks, hallmarks, sizes, weights where applicable, and any other relevant information. This will be circulated to all the shops in The London Silver Vaults. Of course, you may also bring in your silverware during opening hours and visit any of the shops.
Yes, all shops will ship overseas. Our silverware graces homes, hotels, clubs and sporting institutions all over the world! Please discuss your shipping needs with the individual shop owners whose details can be found on the shop page.
Absolutely. The Silver Vaults has been a trade secret for interior decorators and designers for many years, representing a wide variety of traditional and contemporary styles and tastes. We work with them to provide a diverse range of exquisite silverware to meet every design requirement.
Depending on the item, the shop owners may be interested in purchasing good quality pieces of silver from you. Clients may send in a request via email, providing as much information as possible, photos, size, weights where applicable and any other relevant information. This will then be circulated to all the shop owners. You may also bring in your silverware during opening hours and visit any of the shops.
Many of the dealers provide a valuation service. Send an enquiry via email, providing as much detail as possible; photos that include makers’ marks, hallmarks, sizes, weights where applicable, and any other relevant information. Your request will be circulated to all the shops in The London Silver Vaults for them to respond.
Please get in touch by email including photographs and as much information as possible. The request will be circulated to all the shop owners to see if they can help.
Each shop offers a variety of payment methods including all major credit and debit cards, bank transfers (BACS), as well as cash.
Yes you may. The London Silver Vaults is very ‘grammable' and our visitors love to post photos and videos on their social media channels. If you would like to use photos or video footage of The Vaults for professional media, such as PR or television, please get in touch.
If you have a PR or media enquiry for The London Silver Vaults, please contact us at: hello@silvervaultslondon.co.uk
We do and our silver has featured in many famous films and TV series such as Downton Abbey. Please send an email with your enquiry to xxxxx@xxxxxxx
Yes, we do. Our silver has been featured in many films and TV series such as Downton Abbey and the James Bond franchise. Please send an email with your enquiry to hello@londonsilvervaults.uk
Cleaning your silverware should not be a big chore if you follow a few simple steps. There are some proprietary silver cleaning products to help – the most well-known being Silvo, Goddards and Hagerty’s. Also, contrary to the myth, most silverware, silver cutlery and flatware is dishwasher safe. Find out more about cleaning and taking care of your silver.
A hallmark states the standard of fineness, that is the quantity of pure silver. It also tells you where, when and by whom the piece was made. The English hallmark system is the world's oldest quality control standard and has been in force since the early 13th century. The experts at The London Silver Vaults can help you decipher hallmarks, revealing the story behind each piece of silver.
The London Silver Vaults is a shopping arcade of 30 independent silver retailers, open to the public and the trade. If you cannot visit in person, each shop has its own website selling a vast array of silverware. Simply follow the links under each shop’s description on the shops page.
A hallmark states the standard of fineness (quantity of pure silver) plus where, when and by whom the piece was made. The English hallmark system is the world's oldest quality control standard and has been employed since the early 13th century. Every piece of British and Irish sterling* and Britannia* standard silver (see below) bears a set of marks declaring the article has been independently tested and passed by an assay office. This guarantees its purity conforms to legal standards. In the past, any piece not passing the test was destroyed.
The primary reason for hallmarking, introduced in Britain in the13th century, was and is still to guarantee the purity of silver and gold articles. Its system of marks protected the public against forgeries and, in the past, was necessary to protect against the debasement of silver coin of the realm. Since the manufacture of silver articles was allied with the minting of coinage made from the very same precious metal, a comprehensive system was established to test every piece made in silver and gold.
The ”hall” in hallmark refers to Goldsmiths’ Hall in London, governed by The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths & Silversmiths. It has wielded great power under Royal Charter since the early 1300s and continues to control the industry today, testing and marking.
Until 1998, a hallmark consisted of four obligatory marks. Since then the date letter has become optional but the other three symbols remain compulsory.
43Throughout history, registered silversmiths were obliged to provide their unique identifying punch to mark every piece they made. The assay office would know who owned the items and punish those whose pieces didn’t meet the correct standard of purity. Certain makers’ pieces are highly sought after and command very high prices: Paul Storr, Paul de Lamerie, Hester Bateman, Christopher Dresser, and Omar Ramsden are examples.
In its pure state silver is too soft to be practical for either coinage or domestic use. During the Saxon period in England, the percentage of silver in coinage was fixed at 92.5%, the other 7.5% being copper. This alloy provided good strength and colour while retaining a high intrinsic value. It remains the composition of sterling silver today and is represented by the lion passant mark.
Britannia silver was briefly the legal standard for silver items in Britain from 1697 to 1720 and with a higher silver content than sterling at 95.84% silver. Its purpose was to prevent the illegal clipping of coins for making articles and the coin recirculated to trade at its face value. Softer and less durable it is easier to work and occasionally employed for ceremonial commissions.
While London was the most important assay location, from the 16th century provincial marking was also commonplace and enabled silversmiths to avoid making the long and often hazardous journey to a main assay centre. You may therefore come across pieces with hallmarks from Exeter, Chester, York, Newcastle, Glasgow or Guernsey. Today the assay offices open for hallmarking are London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Edinburgh, and Dublin.
An alphabet date cycle was implemented into the hallmarking system in 1544 with each cycle or year differentiated by changing font styles and shield shapes. It continues to the present day.
You may come across another mark on your silver. This is called a duty mark. The duty mark of the sovereign’s head does not appear in all hallmarks, but if it does, it will tell you that the piece was marked during years when The Crown levied duty on gold and silver. Duty marks appear on pieces assayed between 2 December 1784 and 30 April 1890. The outlines of these marks may vary, and often the old punches were used for some time after each sovereign’s death. Dublin did not introduce the mark until 1807 and Glasgow in 1819. As in England, both cities continued with the duty stamp until 1890.
EPNS stands for electro-plated nickel silver. It is what we generally call silver plate. The electroplating process of covering a metal article with a coating of pure silver was perfected by Elkington & Coin Birmingham c1840. Pieces are suspended in a Portland-cement-lined vat of potassium cyanide. A low-voltage current passes through the liquid with a positive pole attached to a silver sheet, and a negative pole attached to the article. The pure silver particles pass from the dissolving sheet onto the piece to be plated. Once plated, the piece is hammered all over to ensure adhesion of the coasting and then burnished. The amount of silver deposited on any one article can vary.
Special optional marks to commemorate significant national events may also be added to a piece of silver if a sponsor chooses. The Millennium mark, celebrating the year 2000, was very popular and applied to more than five million pieces of jewellery and silverware. Special commemorative hallmarks were introduced for Queen Elizabeth II, celebrating her coronation in 1953, plus marks for her silver, gold, diamond and platinum jubilees– more than any other British monarch.
Silver dip provides a quick and easy way to remove heavy deposits of tarnish before finishing off with a cream polish. It’s also excellent for quickly dipping the tines of forks which sometimes show tarnish before the rest of the piece. After dipping, all pieces must be thoroughly rinsed with clean water.
If you have a few larger pieces of silver, we suggest you buy a five-litre container of silver dip and keep it in a tightly sealed plastic container. It makes dipping larger pieces easier. A soft brush is useful for cleaning the nooks and crannies.
Never, ever, use wire wool or any abrasive pads or polishes to clean silver.
Once the heavy tarnish has been removed, apply silver cream polish to give your silverware the brightest and longest-lasting shine. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
For ease and speed, Goddards foam polish is perfect for quickly removing finger marks and obvious light tarnish whenever needed. Sponge on and rinse off to give your silverware a good clean and bring back the shine.
Silvo cream polish will give your silverware the brightest and longest-lasting result, making your silverware truly sparkle. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. A soft goat hair brush, available from the Oxford Brush Company, can work the polish into and out of crevices and intricate nooks and crannies on silver cutlery, candlesticks and tableware.
Contrary to the myth, most silverware, silver cutlery and flatware is dishwasher safe. Although many silver cutlery sets today include modern, dishwasher-safe silver knives with stainless steel blades, antique silver knives should be washed by hand. Similarly, silverware with bone, ivory, stone, mother-of-pearl or other precious finishes, is not suitable for the dishwasher, or if knives have traditional steel blades.
Please only use chlorine- and citric acid-free washing powders. Avoid gels and liquid products that often contain chlorine, all-in-one tablets (3 in 1) and lemon or citrus-scented products containing citric acid. Most manufacturers indicate on their packaging whether their product is suitable for cleaning silver.
If used daily – which we suggest you do – keep your silver cutlery and other silverware handy and ready for use. Sometimes cutlery is stored in a fitted canteen whose tarnish-proof lining will keep the pieces from tarnishing. Pieces that are not on display or only brought out on occasion can be wrapped in an airtight plastic bag or wrapped in tarnish-proof fabric, or both. Cutlery bags are made from the same tarnish-proof material and keep individual pieces of a cutlery setting separated.