Gyrogami Blog - Precious Metals, Jewelry, Artwork

Hallmarking and Selling

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Categories: Instruction and information; Jewelry; Ethics and laws; Commerce and business

Word count/read time: 420 words; 3 minutes

Hallmarking: In the USA, a purity mark is not required on precious metal items. If it does have one it is required to have a maker's mark applied. The hallmark must be federally registered for traceability. Literature, documentation, claims, and product tags are considered part of the hallmarking process.

This goes for any piece someone sells or distributes regardless of whether or not they made it. It's quite a disincentive to sell something second-hand that doesn't already have a manufacturer's mark because the seller is now responsible for it.

Hobby or part-time sellers/manufacturers seldom have a registered hallmark but often put purity marks on their pieces. They may ""inadvertently"" use a finding with a purity stamp on it but as far as they're concerned, it's all good.

There are provisions to bring criminal and/or civil lawsuits against ANY person or entity that does not comply. Defendants would be burdened with fines, lawyer fees, and court costs. They may have an injunction, their inventory confiscated. If the law was enforced to begin with, no one would need to pursue the troublemakers themselves.

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Marketing: A huge issue is "handmade" jewelry and precious metal items. It's legally defined and no one is exempt. Some people just don't get it. On an aside, most jewelry that is called handmade isn't. Mine happens to be.

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Fake and counterfeit: Numerous laws govern the selling, possession, or distribution of fake articles. Silverplated junk bearing fake sterling hallmarks litter the marketplace. Every seller, manufacturer, and distributor who does this knows exactly what they are doing and their intention is to scam you! Anything precious metals from China - yeah, no thanks.

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Imports: Any imported item must be labeled with country of origin. The consumer gets the worst of it as unscrupulous sellers will pawn illegal merchandise under the guise of being made in America, for instance.

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Summary: Your seller is the only defense you have. Can they be trusted and have they answered everything correctly? Second to that, understand these laws because what is presented in the marketplace is something entirely different.

Jewelers (the industry) were a reason for creating these laws. Illegal hallmarking and fraud were rampant. Things have changed somewhat because every scammer has a world-wide audience now. It's pathetic and I have no qualms about speaking up. I won't be liked but opinions from this crowd won't change the price of ice cream on Mars.

Posted by M: May 25, 2022

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