Products made with several materials

Stones in jewellery

An article of precious metal can be combined with other materials, such as enamel, pearls and precious stones. Such components must be clearly distinguishable from the precious metal components and visible.

Multi-metal articles

An article of precious metal may be a combination of parts made from base metals.

You may combine a base metal part with an article of precious metal if

  • the base metal part clearly differs from the precious metal parts by its appearance and colour. A precious metal may not be combined with a base metal that is similar to it in colour
  • the base metal part is visible and not, for example, inside the piece of jewellery
  • you mark the base metal part with a mark, such as the word ‘METAL’
  • you do not coat the base metal part with a precious metal
  • you do not use base metal to reinforce, fill or add weight to the article.

Base metal parts in an article of precious metal must be marked as a rule. If a base metal part cannot be marked for technical reasons, the other parts should be clearly different from the precious metal parts in the article that must be marked, and they should be easily visible.

Options for marking base metal parts:

  • Use the word METAL, the chemical symbol for the metal in question (Cu, Al etc.) or, for instance, the word STEEL. Where possible, the mark should be on the relevant part.
  • If the mark cannot be placed on the base metal part for technical reasons, you can append it to the array of marks using a + sign, such as ABC Ag925 + METAL (responsibility mark, fineness mark and mark identifying the base metal part).

Technical reasons for using base metal parts

A separate mark is not required if using a part made from base metal in an article of precious metal is justified for technical reasons or needed to ensure that the article is fit for its purpose.

A spring lock is an example of a technical reason for using a base metal component. If the spring inside a silver lock is made from a precious metal, it will not last for very long in use, as the precious metal becomes fatigued and cracks over time. Additionally, a precious metal does not have the elasticity of steel, which is why it does not work in such uses. In this case, you can mark the lock with just a fineness mark, without the word METAL.

Mixed precious metals in an article

If you manufacture a product from several different precious metals, the markings must clearly show this. If the colours of the precious metal parts used in the article are clearly distinguishable, the article or its parts may be marked with a separate fineness mark for each precious metal. 

If the different precious metal parts cannot be told  apart by their colours, the article must have a fineness mark indicating the fineness of the precious metal with the lowest fineness. Platinum is the most valuable of the precious metals, followed by gold, palladium and silver.

As an example, you can combine a silver product that bears the fineness mark Ag925 with a gold part without a fineness mark onthe gold part. Should you wish, however, you can also mark the gold part with a fineness mark for gold. In this example, gold and silver can be told apart due to  their different colours. If you were to use a white gold component, you would have to consider if the colours are distinctive enough to be marked separately. If not, the article should be marked as silver.

Gold nugget

A naturally formed gold nugget can be used without a mark in an article of precious metal, irrespective of what its fineness is and whether or not it can be distinguished from a precious metal subject to the requirement of being marked clearly.

Products manufactured using the Mokume Gane technique

Mokume Gane products consist of several metal laminates that have been worked and sintered in order to merge them with each other. Such products may comprise silver or copper layers, or silver, gold or palladium laminates.  The products differ from multi-metal articles in that their metal layers cannot be detached from each other, and their fineness cannot be analysed based on any one component.

Mokume Gane products cannot usually be marked as articles of precious metals as they do not meet the legal requirements set for fineness.  Consequently, such products cannot be marketed as articles of precious metals. You can, however, state that the product contains platinum, gold, palladium or silver if this is the case. In this connection, you must also clearly state that the precious metal fineness is lower than in an article of precious metal.

Mokume Gane products must be marked if their laminates of varying colours are made of the same precious metal, for example 585 gold components of different colours.  In this case the product can bear the fineness mark Au585 and a responsibility mark.

Precious metal clay

There are various silver and gold clays on the market that can be used to make jewellery at home. As such clays are raw materials, they do not need to be marked.  

The situation is different if you decide to sell products made of silver or gold clay: articles of precious metals sold in Finland must have all the mandatory marks. As the seller, it is up to you to ensure that each article of precious metal meets the requirements set for it. A finished product is not always made of a pure precious metal that can be marked with a fineness mark of 999. If the jewellery you make with the clay is intended for your personal use, there is no need for marks.