The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has said that customers buying precious metals need to be cautious while making purchases.
Cases of inferior metals being sold as gold, silver or platinum have come to light, it said, adding that they are being investigated.
The ministry said the best way to ensure purity is to verify the Arabic numerals inscribed by its lab on precious metal coins, or jewellery. Raya Abdullah al Eaysaria, head of the precious metals laboratory in MoCI’s Directorate General of Specifications and Standards, said that customers should make sure that the jewellery has these Arabic numbers.
“For example, the number 916 denotes 22 carat, 875 is for 21 carat, 750 is for 18 carat and 585 is for 14 carat,” she said, adding that all jewellery displayed in shops for sale must be stamped. “These numbers mean that the precious metals and jewellery have been analysed by the lab and that they conform to the true calibre, based on Royal Decree 109/2000,” she said.
The purity of silver is hallmarked as 999, 925 or 800. Meanwhile, platinum buyers should look for the number 950 engraved on the jewellery. The operations in the local market take place in coordination with ROP’s Directorate General of Customs. Jewellers need to fill out a request form to get the pieces tested and analysed by the lab before they can put them up for sale, she said. The verification is carried out manually and through a special device.
Source: MuscatDaily