Products with several materials

Stones in jewellery

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

Products with multiple different metals (multi-metal products)

An article of precious metals may be a combination of components made of different metals.

A metal component may be combined with an article of precious metals if

  • the metal component clearly differs from the precious metal based on appearance and colour; metal that is similar to the precious metal may not be combined with the precious metal
  • the metal component is visible, and not inside the jewellery, for example
  • the metal component is stamped with a mark, such as the word ‘METAL’
  • the metal component is not coated with a precious metal

Metal components on an article of precious metals must be marked. Alternatives for marking metal components

  • Use the word ‘METAL’, the chemical symbol of the metal in question (for example, Cu, AL) or the mark ‘STEEL’, for example.
  • If a metal component cannot be marked for technical reasons, a mark denoting it can be appended to the array of marks using the ‘+’ sign; for example, ABC 925 + METAL (a responsibility mark, a fineness mark, and a mark identifying the metal component.)

Products with several different precious metals

There must be a clear indication on a product if it is made of several different precious metals. However, precious metal of a higher value can be attached to a product without a separate marking. For example, a gold component can be combined with a silver product, that has a fineness mark reading 925, without a separate fineness mark for the gold. If you desire, you may also mark the gold component with a fineness mark.

Products produced using the Mokume Gane technique

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

Under current legislation, Mokume Gane products cannot generally be marked as articles of precious metals. This is due to the fact that Mokume Gane products do not meet the requirements set for fineness. Thus, such products cannot be marketed as articles of precious materials.

Mokume Gane products must be marked if their laminates of varying colours are made of the same metal, for example, of 585 gold. In such a case, a product can be marked with the ‘585’ fineness and a responsibility mark.

Precious metal clay

There are various silver and gold clays on the market, which can be used to make jewellery at home. Because the clays are raw materials they do not need to be marked.  The circumstances change if you decide to sell products made of silver or gold clay: Articles of precious metals sold in Finland must be stamped with all the mandatory marks. As the seller, you are responsible for ensuring that each article of precious metals meets the requirements set for it. A finished product is not always made of pure precious metal that can be marked with a fineness mark of 999. If you use materials to make jewellery for your own use they do not need to be marked.