About eight of the 30 surveyed retailers also charged more for the jewellery. They used tactics such as weighing the item with the price tag, which would artificially inflate the final price, or charging additional fees if consumers paid using Nets. --PHOTO: REUTERS
IF YOU are thinking of buying gold jewellery, beware: it may not be as pure as it is touted to be.
A recent survey of 30 gold retailers by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) has found that a-sixth were selling gold jewellery that were less pure than advertised.
It has thrown the spotlight on some retailers who, deliberately or not, misrepresent the quality of their goods.
The surveyors had purchased commonly bought jewellery such as bracelets, necklaces, and earrings from randomly selected jewellers across Singapore. At each shop, they bought a standard '916' gold item, which should contain at least 91.6 per cent gold.
Of these, five failed testing by the Singapore Assay's Office. The lowest scored 85.94 per cent, bought from a shop in Little India.
This misrepresentation was not the only unfair practice found by Case.
About eight of the 30 surveyed retailers also charged more for the jewellery. They used tactics such as weighing the item with the price tag, which would artificially inflate the final price, or charging additional fees if consumers paid using Nets.
Some also charged extra for the cost of gold lost during manufacturing. But the practice of charging for what is known as 'gold loss' was abolished in 1995 by the Singapore Jewellers' Association.
