Inside a quiet building in Sheffield, every piece of precious metal, gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, still carries a mark that has defined trust for more than 250 years. The Sheffield hallmark.

In this episode of The Digital Forge, David Richards MBE meets Ashley Carson, the city’s longest-serving Assay Master. From apprentice to leader, Ashley has spent nearly fifty years testing and marking the precious metals that carry Sheffield’s reputation around the world.

It’s a story of precision and pride, of heritage and modernisation, and of a man who has literally shaped the authenticity of British craftsmanship.