Accra, Feb. 12, GNA - The Ghana Standards Board (GSB) has established an Assay Office to implement a hallmarking scheme to test the proportionate content of precious metal in jewellery.

A statement signed by Mr Adu G. Darkwa, Executive Director of GSB, said the hallmarks were official quality control marks stamped on gold, silver and platinum articles as a guarantee of purity and fineness of the jewellery.

A Ghana hallmark will contain three symbols; the sponsor's mark (known as a marker's mark), a number indicating the purity or fineness in parts per thousand and an Assay Office mark.

Gold and Silver are the main articles to be marked.

For gold, the standard marks are 375 (9 karat), 585 (14 karat) 750 (18 karat) 916 (22 karat), 990 and 999 parts per 1,000. Silver the standard marks as 800, 925 (sterling), 958 (Britannia) and 999 parts per 1,000.

The statement said among other objectives behind the hallmarking scheme were protection of the consumer against fraud due to irregular gold quality, development of export competitiveness and development of Ghana as one o f the leading gold marketing centres in the world. By the hallmarking scheme, the consumer has a third party assurance of quality and originality of the precious metal thus getting value for his money. The consumer could also easily identify fake products on the market.

The tests on the jewellery could only be carried out independently by an assay office.