For manufacturers, importers, and retailers of precious metal articles

If you are planning to manufacture, import, or sell precious metal articless, you can find advice on how to get started on our website. 

You do not need a permit from Tukes to start selling precious metal articles, but the articles you have placed on the market must meet the legal requirements. This often means that you need a responsibility mark for your company before starting your operations. Apply for a responsibility mark from Tukes. The instructions for doing so can be found on the page How to apply for a responsibility mark and a locality mark. The section also describes when a responsibility mark is not required.

In addition to a responsibility mark, the precious metal articles must have a fineness mark approved in Finland. Also read up on the material requirements.

Scales and weighing

When buying and selling precious metals by weight, you must use a certified precision scale that is validated.

Measuring instruments

Scales intended for weighing precious metals

 

Importer

As an importer, your task is to ensure that the products you import meet the requirements laid down in Finnish legislation. Legislation on articles of precious metals is national legislation and has not been harmonised at EU level. Thus, products approved in another EU country do not necessarily meet the requirements set in Finland.

In order to meet the Finnish requirements for markings, in some cases you can order products manufactured abroad so that the manufacturer adds your company’s responsibility mark registered with Tukes and a fineness mark in accordance with Finnish regulations. 

Products can be ordered without marks, and you will then add the marks required in Finland to the products before placing them on the market. You can also get an assay office mark for the products abroad. At the moment, there is no company in Finland that marks articles of precious metals with an assay office mark.

A foreign manufacturer of articles of precious metals may also register its responsibility with Tukes. In this case, the Finnish importer’s responsibility mark does not need to be added to articles already bearing the manufacturer’s responsibility mark. Please note, however, that as the party placing the articles of precious metals on the market, you are still responsible for ensuring that the articles meet the other requirements laid down in Finnish legislation. Read more on these requirements in the sections Marks and other markings and Material requirements.

Read more about general product safety on our website:

Importer's obligations

Manufacturer

The requirements for articles of precious metals are the same regardless of whether you manufacture individual pieces of jewellery or on a factory scale. The manufacturing materials and their precious metal fineness must be known. Please note that if you manufacture jewellery from jewellery bases or jewellery parts ordered from elsewhere, you are responsible for the semi-finished products and raw materials you use. Read about the material and marking requirements for articles of precious metals and the chemical safety of products on our website.

There is material available for small-scale manufacturers at Tukes Kampus in the section Craft entrepreneurs.

Read more about general product safety on our website:

Manufacturer’s obligations

Retailer

A retailer is always responsible for the articles they sell, and the information provided on them. You can read about the requirements in the section Material requirements. 

The retailer must ensure that the product sold meets not only the regulations concerning articles of precious metals but also other trade regulations. It is also a good idea to familiarise yourself with chemical restrictions in jewellery, and this can be done on our website on the page Product safety and chemicals. A responsibility mark registered in Finland helps in determining the responsible party.

Read more about general product safety on our website:

Distributor’s obligations

Traceability of products

 

Online sale and marketing

Finnish consumers can order articles of precious metals online from anywhere in the world for their own use, even if they do not meet the requirements laid down in Finnish legislation. If products ordered online are resold in Finland at some point, the seller is responsible for ensuring that the products meet the requirements of Finnish legislation. 

A party selling something online or placing it on the market online is responsible for the products, in the same manner as other entrepreneurs operating on the Finnish market. 

It is a good idea to add all relevant information on the website about the articles of precious metals on sale, e.g.

  • product material(s)
  • weight
  • marks
  • cutlery product description

Please note that if the product does not meet the requirements for articles of precious metals, no mark intended for articles of precious metals may be used. For example, the lowest permitted fineness for gold in Finland is 375, so products below this concentration cannot be marketed as, for example, 8 K gold or be marked 333.

In addition, the following terms may not be used for such products:

  • article of precious metals
  • gold
  • silver
  • platinum
  • palladium

Read more about general product safety on our website:

Distributor’s obligations

Traceability of products

To be noted

There is currently no assay office for articles of precious metal in Finland, i.e. it is not possible to obtain an assay office mark or CCM mark for articles of precious metals from Finland.

The previous Assay Office, Eurofins Labtium Oy, stopped hallmarking of articles of precious metal at the end of January 2021.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment has prepared a report on the situation, read the report (in Finnish).

Legislation

See also