With a view of increase of efficiency of consumer rights protection on the market of jewelry from precious metals the Consumers Union of Russia and FPI of Assay Chamber of Russia concluded the agreement about cooperation on prevention and suppression of consumer deception. On this subject on March 2, 2011 the joint press conference of the Consumers Union of Russia, the Assay Chamber of Russian Federation, Moscow Consumer Rights Protection Society, Rostest Moscow, with assistance of the Academy of quality problems of the Russian Federation was held.

Alexander MARKIN, the head of FPI «Assay Chamber of Russia » made a speech at the press conference about the following:

«According to the federal law No. 41-FL «On precious metals and stones» one of the main objectives of federal assay supervision is consumer rights protection of jewellery and other household products from precious metals and stones. A basis of this protection is the Russian state assay mark which existence on the jewel guarantees to the buyer the content of precious metal in the product according to the mark. Each seller of jewels is obliged before exposing them for sale, to make their assaying and marking-off in the assay supervision inspection. Until recently neglect of this duty by the seller was punished by quite harsh sanctions up to criminal punishment. Now the situation has changed.

For more favorable climate for business activity in the country the level of administrative load on business, including the field of production and trade of jewels decreases. In this sphere manufacturers and sellers made some branch public organizations which rather successfully protect economic interests of the participants and are urged to create favorable conditions for development of jewellery business.

In our opinion protection of members against unfair competition on the part of the businessmen basing their business on deception of buyers should become one of the most important tasks of these organizations. In these conditions, decrease of administrative control level is not accompanied by adequate improvement of businessmen work quality on the consumer market and awareness of their responsibility before the consumer.

If we take into consideration the market of jewels as the results of law enforcement bodies checks in common with experts of the Assay Chamber which were carried out in 2011 showed that the situation with protection of the consumer rights, with guarantees from sellers on quality of realized is still far from the ideal.

So, for example, from 8 stores checked in Krasnodar Krai for the first half of 2011 in 4 of them products with prints of assay marks raising doubts in their authenticity or which have no assay marks are found out. For the same period in Moscow and the Moscow region from 25 of checked outlets the jewelry without prints of assay marks or with false marks are found out in 14 stores.

In total across Russia for 2011 law enforcement bodies in common with experts of the Assay Chamber checked 336 stores, from about 17 000 organizations registered as carrying out retail trade of jewelry. During these checks 117 thousand of jewels were examined. 5565 pieces were discontinued (from them 4109 pieces without prints of the state mark) with the following direction in state inspections for examination of prints of assay marks and the actual content of precious metals in these products.

The following main violations found out during checks of objects of trade were:

- at carrying out of presales training existence of state assay marks prints and their quality is not checked therefore jewelry without prints of the state assay marks of the Russian Federation or with prints of false marks are exposed on realization;

- products (previously used), accepted on the commission, are exposed in shop windows together with the products which are realized at retail;

- registration of labels does not correspond to requirements of Sale Rules of separate types of the goods (the assay of precious metal is incorrectly specified on labels of products, the price for gram is not put down, the manufacturer is not specified) that leads to various seller abuse.

All this causes logical alarm and need in development of effective fight measures against such unfair businessmen.

What can we oppose to the similar situation?

In our opinion, decrease in measures of the market state control should be accompanied by increase of control efficiency from civil society, its public institutes. In this case it is association of efforts of the state and public organizations on protection of consumer rights on the jewellery market.

Today on a national scale there are two organizations which set themselves a task of protection of rights of consumers of jewellery and other household products from precious metals and stones. The Assay Chamber of Russia and the consumer protection society, together with «Consumers Union of the Russian Federation». Developing of joint control under unfair sellers and assistance to the Russian buyers in  assertion of their rights to purchase qualitative jewelry with the guaranteed content of precious metal should become our general task. It would be desirable to hope with joint efforts we will able to overcome negative tendencies on the Russian jewellery market.

For example, the action which was held on March 5-6 «Check your jewelery gift» is directed at the solution of this task. Together with «Consumers Union of the Russian Federation» which chairman is Petr Borisovich Shchelish and Moscow consumer protection society led by Golovkova Nadejda Sergeevna we will try to help buyers of jewelry to assert their rights. I hope, this first step will become the beginning of our cooperative, fruitful work and we will extend this positive experience to other regions of Russia»