Not all that glitters is gold: Buyers advised to verify marketing claims when jewellery shopping
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The thickness of the exterior gold layers on gold-wrapped silver jewellery differed significantly across individual pieces, the Consumers Association of Singapore found.
PHOTO: CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION OF SINGAPORE
- Consumers are advised to verify gold content and thickness in gold-wrapped-silver jewellery due to varying gold layer thickness found in tests.
- Retailers should disclose gold coating thickness and provide independent certification to support marketing claims.
- Consumers should buy from accredited jewellers, ask detailed questions, and ensure written return or buyback policies to avoid misleading sales.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Consumers have been advised to verify the content of jewellery pieces before buying them, after an exercise by the consumer watchdog found varying thickness of the gold layer in gold-wrapped silver jewellery.
Consumers can do so by asking for independent certification or assay reports – official documents that verify the purity, weight and authenticity of precious metals – said the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), Singapore Jewellers Association (SJA) and Singapore Pawnbrokers’ Association (SPA) in a joint advisory on July 9.
The three organisations pointed to the “ambiguous use” of the term “gold-wrapped” for jewellery by manufacturers or retailers in their marketing, amid rising gold prices.
This comes after the thickness of the exterior layers of gold in three sample gold-wrapped silver (GWS) jewellery pieces, which were bought in a mystery shopping exercise, was tested and found to differ substantially across samples.
GWS refers to silver jewellery that has a layer of gold mechanically pressed or wrapped around a silver core.
While the composition of the gold layers of the three pieces was found during testing to be between 98.4 per cent and 99.9 per cent and generally consistent with manufacturers’ claims, the layers’ thickness ranged from 2.13μm to 9.86μm.
Two of the pieces were bought from physical retail stores, and one from an online platform.
CASE president Melvin Yong said: “When consumers buy jewellery, they should be able to understand clearly what they are paying for.
“Terms like ‘gold-wrapped’ can be confusing if sellers do not explain how much gold is actually on the item, or provide proper proof to back up their claims.”
SJA president Ho Nai Chuen said the rising prices of gold have increased the demand for cheaper jewellery, “creating opportunities for misleading and deceptive sales practices”.
He added that GWS jewellery has no trade-in value, while SPA president Ho Khiam Seng said licensed pawnbrokers do not accept GWS items as gold collateral.
It is also an offence to falsely represent an item as gold, as well as the gold content in an item, when pawning goods, Ho Khiam Seng noted.
The three organisations called on manufacturers or retailers to disclose the thickness of gold coatings on jewellery at the point of sale, and to provide consumers with independent certification to substantiate the content of what they are selling.
Also, consumers should visit jewellers accredited under the CaseTrust-SJA accreditation scheme, the advisory noted, as such jewellers must sell gold jewellery that has been tested by accredited laboratories.
Consumers can also protect themselves by:
Asking specifically about the thickness and bonding method of any gold layer in the jewellery being purchased.
Examining visual and weight indicators carefully. Authentic gold-wrapped jewellery typically feels heavier and displays consistent colour throughout.
Ensuring that any promised buyback, exchange or return policies are clearly documented in writing. Verbal assurances or vaguely worded terms provide little protection and frequently give rise to disputes.