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CASE launches new accreditation scheme for jewellers

SINGAPORE — Consumers now have a yardstick with which to identify reliable jewellery retailers, with the launch of CaseTrust-SJA Accreditation Scheme yesterday.

SINGAPORE — Consumers now have a yardstick with which to identify reliable jewellery retailers, with the launch of CaseTrust-SJA Accreditation Scheme yesterday.

The scheme will see accredited retailers — 28 are set to join the list — provide consumers with a clear cost breakdown of the gold purchase, as well as a hallmark from the Singapore Assay Office certifying the quality of the piece sold. The Singapore Assay Office is currently the only independent body here that tests and certifies precious metal articles. The retailers will also be required to have in place refund policies and a clearly-defined redress system for handling disputes.

The scheme is a joint collaboration between Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) and the Singapore Jewellers Association (SJA). The 28 SJA members — which include well-known names such as Taka Jewellery and SK Jewellery — are expected to be accredited towards the end of this year.

Last year, CASE received more than 20 jewellery-related complaints, mostly regarding defective goods, issues with refunds and redress. From 2012 to January this year, there were 81 complaints. While these numbers are not high, CASE and the SJA warned consumers to be more wary and to check the weight of gold purchased.

Checks conducted on 20 randomly-selected retailers revealed questionable practices, such as not initiating the removal of the price tag when weighing the gold pieces — which would affect the net weight — and not using approved scales displaying a SPRING Singapore-certified accuracy label.

SJA president Ho Nai Chuen noted that practices such as compromised gold quality is hard to detect with the naked eye. With this scheme, the public can identify retailers that are less likely to engage in such practices.

Jewellery retailer Yeo Hiang Meng, who is among the 28 retailers seeking accreditation, said unethical retailers can also overstate the amount of gold lost during the manufacturing process, to charge customers more. They then claim to offer a discount on “workmanship cost” on the inflated price.

Those who join the scheme, however, would incur additional charges due to the assaying procedure, which can cost about S$2.40 per piece for pieces assayed in bulk. This could drive some retailers, such as Mr Teo Yong Ping, to pass the cost on to consumers.

Mr Teo’s shop in Bedok brings in over 10,000 pieces of jewellery a year. “In the future, if the prices (cost) increases, then ... we will have to work out the pricing dynamics,” he said.

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