Fantasy Metals

[sjard]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

I'd be surprised if much of the jewellery sold in a US store today actually has the gold content that is being claimed.

That becomes a false advertising issue, and is usually taken fairly seriously in the US.

[Bruno]

The problem is more that people don't have a clue what 14kt means.

[DanHoward]

Originally Posted by sjard

That becomes a false advertising issue, and is usually taken fairly seriously in the US.

Only if it was intentional. I'd be surprised if many jewellery retailers have a clue about what they are selling. One of the current affairs programs would get some good ratings if they purchased a pile of gold jewellery at random and had them tested for gold purity.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by DanHoward

Only if it was intentional. I'd be surprised if many jewellery retailers have a clue about what they are selling. One of the current affairs programs would get some good ratings if they purchased a pile of gold jewellery at random and had them tested for gold purity.

It's taken pretty seriously if you misrepresent gold purity, just like any other scam. Retailers are responsible for the quality of what they supply, and they are liable for misrepresentations.

Mind you, there's tons of 10 kt gold being sold, which barely qualifies as gold, and most gold sold in the US is low quality 14 kt stuff.

But when you get merchants selling fake gold, gold plated stuff as "gold", or gold-like 8 kt or 9 kt "gold" which is illegal to call gold in the US, retailers must refund the purchase and can get fined if accidental, or shut down and arrested if they're found to be running a scam.

Of course, if you're buying your "gold" from the discount guy on the corner, it's likely to be as real as the "rolex" he's selling, and good luck getting your money back, or even just finding the guy when your "gold" starts flaking off.