SRI LANKA First Asian Country Joined International Hallmarking Convention

Sri Lanka to Joined the Hallmarking Convention to Promote Jewellery Exports and Arrangements are being made to become a full member before 2025

Manager-sri-lanka-assaying-office-discussing-with-the-delegates

The Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals - also "Hallmarking Convention" or "Vienna Convention" -  is an international treaty between Contracting States, which aims at facilitating the cross-border trade of precious metal articles.

States members of the Convention, recognize that articles, which have been hallmarked with the Convention "Common Control Mark" (CCM) can enter their territory without additional control or marking.

The Hallmarking Convention provides many advantages. Mainly it eliminates the trade barriers in the cross-border trade of precious metal articles. It is also harmonizes worldwide the control and marking of these articles.

The Convention mark consists of 4 parts as below:

• Common control mark (CCM),

• Sponsor?s (manufacturer?s) mark,

• Assay Office mark and

• Fineness mark.

Members & observe members States of Hallmarking Convention are :

Austria, Cyprus, Czech Rep., Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland & United Kingdom, Croatia & Serbia.

Sri Lanka , Italy & Ukraine is a (observe members)

The first assay office in Sri Lanka was established in 1981 with the prime objectives of achieving legally enforced compulsory hallmarking system and joining the hallmarking convention to gain higher recognition for our jewellery in competitive foreign markets.

To acheive the objective of joining the convention ,a three member standing committee delegation of the Convention on the Control and Marketing of Precious Metals (Hallmarking Convention) visited Sri Lanka on the 28th of July , 2008 on the invitation of the National Gem and Jewellery Authority.

During this visit the members studied Sri Lanka’s accession arrangements to the “Hallmarking Convention” and also the capability of the assay office to comply with technical and legal requirements laid down by the convention.

• Staff-of-the-assay-office-with-the-delegates

The delegation members were ,

1) Mr Ronald Le Bas – Chairman of the Standing Committee/Irish Assay Office/ Ireland

2)Mr David Evans -Member/ Former Chairman of the Standing Committee and Deputy Warden ,London Assay Office/ United Kingdom

3)Mr Daniel Brunner- Secretary to the Standing Committee/ Switzerland.

The hallmarking convention which was singed among seven countries in 1972 , is an agreement between states to facilitate international trade in precious metal articles / jewellery, while maintaining consumer protection.

The convention is open to any member state of the United Nations having the required arrangements for “the independent assaying and hallmarking system”. The convention operates parallel to the International Association of Assay Offices (IAAO) of which Sri Lanka Assay Office is a member.

When any state becomes a convention member the particular country is legally empowered to use the convention’s Common Control Mark on gold, silver and platinum articles/jewellery after the fineness( Purity) of the alloys has been tested (assayed) by agreed and accepted analytical ISO methods.

See also  Presentation by Vincent Pardieu, Supervisor, Field Gemology at the GIA Laboratory, Bangkok, Thailand, on April 7, 2011 at the NGJA headquarters, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

With regard to the European Union (EU) countries , most are members of the convention as well as practice mandatory hallmarking system where market surveillance activities regarding jewellery are effectively enforced . The latest country to join the convention is the Republic of Slovenia (July 2008).

In Asian only Sri Lanka currently implementing to get full membership of Hallmarking Convention  .

At the moment the convention is the only worldwide instrument , which harmonizes the control and marking of precious metals , thus eliminating trade barriers in the cross-border trade of precious metal jewellery. Therefore it is imperative that Sri Lanka joins the convention for the benefit of the jewellery industry, especially the export sector and for the economic development of Sri Lanka.

Although the Assay Office in Sri Lanka has been prepared for audit (visit capabilities) from Hallmarking Convention for the second time since 2018, it was delayed day by day due to some obstacles in the old office and the risk of Covid 19. However, the aim of the Assay office Sri Lanka is to prepare for the audit this year with a new face of the new National Gem and Jewellery Authority Building and to give the opportunity for it in 2023 and to get full membership before 2025.

Hon. Lohan Rathwaththe Minister of

Gem and Jewellery Related Industries and the Secretary Mr. S.M.Piyatissa give their full support for this under the full supervision of the Mr. Thilak Weerasinghe Chairman/ CEO of National Gem and Jewellery Authority and the Mr. P.U.K. Thenuwara Director General, this Assay Office is set to go international and will undoubtedly be a significant achievement for the Sri Lankan jewelery industry and the export process itself.

Indika Bandara

Proprietor GOLDCeylon

GOLDCeylon - Knowledge Base Precious Metal E Magazine