Goldsmiths' arms: Quarterly Gules and Azure in the first and fourth quarters a Leopard's Face Or in the second and third quarters a Covered Cup and in chief two Round Buckles the tongues fesswise points to the dexter all of the Third. The Company's hallmark for gold is a leopard's face ducally crowned.
The company, which originates from twelfth-century London, received a Royal Charter in 1327 and ranks fifth in precedence of the City Livery Companies. Its motto is Justitia Virtutum Regina, Latin for Justice is Queen of Virtues.
One of the few Livery Companies today playing a formal role in its ancient trade, it oversees the Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office, where objects made of precious metals are tested for purity, and then marked with an official symbol should they pass the necessary tests. At the Trial of the Pyx, the Goldsmiths' Company is also responsible for checking the validity of British coinage.
The Goldsmiths' Company also maintains a library and archive for those wishing to research goldsmithing, silversmithing and hallmarking.
In 2012 the Goldsmiths’ Centre, a space for workshops, exhibitions and events, and education including apprentice training, opened in Clerkenwell.[3][11]
The Goldsmiths’ Company supports two large educational initiatives, providing funding for a science initiative in primary schools created by Imperial College London[14] and the National Theatre’s programme of streamed recordings for primary schools.[15]
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