Guide to the U.S. Trade in Gold and Silver Jewelry

The Essential Guide to the U.S. Trade in Gold and Silver Jewelry, is a recently released publication from the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, underwritten by a grant from The Richline Group. It is available for free download - here.

From the introduction:

"The Jewelers Vigilance Committee is committed to provide a guidance tool for the trade on the subject of silver and gold precious metal articles. The laws and regulations that govern the manufacture and sale of industry products made with silver and gold are well established. Some of these regulations and laws go back to the beginning of the 20th century. The intention of this brochure is to ensure a greater understanding of these laws so that they can be properly applied to the trade practice in this area and, therefore, provide clear, accurate consumer information.

"New combinations and alloys of gold, silver and gold and other gold plated products are being developed for use in jewelry in this increasingly technological world. The application of the law to these products is essential to ensure consumer confidence in these products. This publication can be used as a guide to achieve a greater understanding of the legal requirements for identifying, marking and marketing these products."

Though this document was written for jewelry professionals, it is also quite useful to consumers for the purpose of making better informed buying decisions.