Coatings and filling

Coatings

Coatings may be used onarticles of precious metals. Remember that the fineness mark of an article with a coating indicates the fineness of the coated precious metal. This means that the fineness of the coating material should not be included in the array of marks.  A gold-plated silver product, for instance, must bear a mark that identifies it as being made of silver, whereas a gold article with silver plating must be marked as gold.

Platings may present something of a problem for consumers. They wear off, and the colour of the article may change over time. 

For example, if you sell rhodium-plated products to consumers, their maintenance should be explained to the customer at the time of the sale. When a consumer is purchasing the article, they should know that the article needs to be re-coated every few years in order to preserve its appearance.  

Some articles may have intermediary coatings of copper, for example. Such articles may develop red patches in places where the surface coating wears off.  

Filling in articles of precious metals and the product description

An article of precious metal may not be reinforced or filled, and its weight may not be increased, with a precious metal whose fineness is lower than that of the article itself, metal or other material or solder.

Cutlery, candlesticks and similar articles can be filled in some cases. When they purchase such articles, customers must be given a product description. Read more about the conditions under which an article of precious metal may be filled and when a product description is required.