Wednesday, 4th February 2004 (4616 views)

One of the UK's MEPs has reassured consumers and retailers that gold jewellery and other items sold in the UK will continue to be of the highest standard, after an EU rule which threatened Britain's hallmarking centres was discarded.

Euro MP Linda McAvan has revealed that the now abandoned Precious Metals Directive could have seen hallmarking centres replaced by a system whereby manufacturers would have been able to verify their own products.

UK offices are thrilled with the outcome claiming they can continue to protect the consumer by ensuring high standards of precious metals such as gold.

Ms McAvan told The Star: 'For me the Precious Metals Directive was not just a threat to the Sheffield Assay Office, but also to the consumer who could have been hoodwinked into buying fake jewellery.'

'It was clear from the start that there was no real desire in the UK and many European countries for changing a hallmarking system that has worked well for over 700 years,' she added.

An Italian initiative, the rule failed to get passed during presidency of the EU last year and now the Irish presidency is quietly dropping the idea.

One example of the hallmarkers saved, the Assay Office, based in Edinburgh, stamps hallmarks of the Lion Rampart and Edinburgh Castle on gold and other jewellery to show it is of a high standard.

 

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