Quaichshop Frequently Asked Questions

The quaich, Scotland’s cup of friendship, has been used through the centuries to offer a welcoming drink at clan gatherings, and other family occasions, and to friends and visitors.

You can find out more about our traditional Scottish loving cup on our “What’s a quaich?” page.

The measurements shown for the quaichs illustrated are the diameter of the bowl, not including the handles.

All of our Sterling Silver quaichs are hallmarked in Edinburgh. They bear the hallmark of the Assay Office in Edinburgh as well as the Quaichshop sponsor’s mark.

Quaichs are made using a variety of materials, the main ones being pewter, silver plate and sterling silver. We also offer wooden, horn and glass models. You can choose any of these types of quaichs for any occasion

There are no rules when it comes to choosing the size of quaich.

If the quaich is going to be used as part of a wedding ceremony, the 3.5” (8.9cm) – 4.5” (11.4cm) sizes are the most popular.

Our toasting quaichs are shallow. They are designed to hold a small amount of whisky to be supped after making a toast.

Quaichs given as christening gifts tend to be in the size range 2.5” (6.4cm) – 4” (10.2cm). If you wish to present a quaich as a trophy these are normally in the range 3.5” (8.9cm) – 6.5” (16.5cm).

If you would like any further advice, please get in touch.

Please go to our “In a Hurry” section. Any of the quaichs shown here can be sent out within 24hrs of ordering (Mon – Thurs).

• Order on a Friday and your quaich will be dispatched on the following Monday.
• If you order in the morning – up to 12 noon – we can dispatch quaichs from this section on the same day.
• Requesting engraving won’t slow down the dispatch of your quaich.
• It’s possible to select delivery on the next working day for any quaich being dispatched to a UK address.
• Please note that quaichs that are not in our “In a Hurry” section will take longer to dispatch.
• Please be aware that orders will take longer to arrive at the moment due to the postal dispute, please select priority shipping if you need your order to arrive by a specific date.

It is possible to upload your image directly onto your order.

Sharp, black and white images are the easiest to work with.

You can supply these in a variety of formats, send us what you have.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to engrave a photograph.

If you are in doubt about whether your image is suitable, please email us a copy – admin@quaichshop.com and we will discuss the options with our engraver.

We charge flat rates for shipping to all parts of the world, irrespective of weight.

For the UK, our rates are as follows

The charge is £4.00 for our Standard service within the UK, which is usually via Royal Mail and can take a few days to arrive. If you would like Priority Shipping, the charge is £7.50 for a delivery on the next working day.

Please note that if you need a quaich shipped quickly you can select any of the quaichs in our “In a Hurry” section and these will be shipped within 24hrs of ordering (Mon – Thurs).

Please note that orders are taking longer to arrive just now due to the postal dispute. If you need your quaich by a specific date, please select Priority Shipping at checkout.

For overseas, our rates are as follows

We charge £27.00 for shipping to Europe and £25.00 for anywhere else in the world.

Please note that we don’t charge VAT on orders dispatched to the EU. The VAT will be collected by the courier before they deliver the order. The VAT is charged at the local rate in the country the order is being sent to and this is additional to any payment made to Quaichshop.

We are based in Edinburgh and have been selling quaichs and other gifts for more than 30 years. We originally stocked quaichs in our two branches of Angles and we now operate as an online shop, sending quaichs and gifts to all corners of the globe.

Most of our quaichs and gifts can be engraved and it is possible to preview what your chosen text will look like in the available fonts.

• Click on ‘Engraved Message’ and a box will appear.
• Input your text into this box and select ‘Preview Fonts’

All retailers that display the Assay Assured Trustmark, are part of a scheme that guarantees their customers that all of the precious metal (not exempt by weight) sold by them in an item, carries the legally required independent hallmark.

This hallmark verifies the precious metal content. Our website has been audited by the Assay Office to ensure that all of our products are accurately described and that their precious metal content is stated.

Our sterling silver quaichs carry the Quaichshop Sponsor’s Mark which is displayed alongside the hallmark for Edinburgh.

We usually engrave the quaich inside the bowl (on the base as you look down into the quaich).

It’s also possible to place the engraving on the outside of the bowl. If you would prefer that, you can specify this on your order.

When there is a design inside the bowl of a quaich we will place the engraving on the outside of the quaich. Some designs of quaich cannot be engraved, either on the inside or the outside of the bowl e.g., Toasting quaichs and the Horn quaichs.

The bride and groom could each hold the quaich handles for the other to drink from its contents. This symbolises togetherness and trust.

The contents are left to individual tastes, though a fine single malt whisky would be the traditional choice.

You can find more information about Scottish weddings on our “What is the quaich wedding ceremony?” page.

Our Commitment to Hallmarking

When it comes to manufacturing jewellery and silverware, precious metals (silver, palladium, gold and platinum) are rarely used in their purest form. Instead, they are usually alloyed with lesser metals to achieve a desired strength, durability, and colour. 

It is not possible to detect the precious metal content of an item by sight or by touch. It is, therefore, a legal requirement to have items consisting of silver, palladium, gold or platinum independently tested and then hallmarked before they can be described as such. Items must bear a hallmark at point of sale, subject to the following weight exemptions:

Silver: mandatory for items above 7.78 grams; gold: mandatory for items above 1 gram; palladium: mandatory for items above 1 gram; platinum: mandatory for items above 0.5 grams.

Quaichshop  operates a process where all items are hallmarked regardless of weight.

We are an Assay Assured Jewellery Retailer. Assay Assured status is only given to retailers who have been independently audited and verified by Assay Assured which is run and overseen by the Edinburgh Assay Office, and ensures that all precious metal jewellery (except items exempt by weight) are independently tested and hallmarked.

Find out what a hallmark looks like here.