Precious Metal Control

Precious Metal Control

The Precious Metal Control is part of the Federal Customs Administration.

It carries out industrial policing tasks in pursuance of the Federal Law on Precious Metals Control and offers services in the field of precious metals analyses.

Observations on the Precious Metals Control

The provisions about precious metals control regulate the trade with articles in gold, silver, platinum, palladium and articles coated with precious metals.

The prescription are valid as well for precious metal articles, as for articles coated with precious metals.

In Switzerland, precious metals articles must bear the mark for a standard of fineness and a responsibility mark registered at the Central Office for Precious Metals Control.

Precious metal watch-cases must be officially hallmarked (official hallmark for all precious metals and for all legal standards is the "head of a St. Bernhard dog").

Switzerland is member of the "Vienna Convention", which means that the "Common Control Mark" stamped in addition to the "head of a St. Bernhard dog" on gold, silver and platinum articles facilitates the exportation of goods to the 17 other contracting States of this international agreement.

On importation, the Precious Metals Control carries out risk-based controls; it supervises the internal market of precious metals articles.

The Swiss Precious Metals Control is accredited in accordance with SN ISO 17015 as testing laboratory STS 071 for analysis of gold, silver, platinum and palladium.

Laws and Prescriptions

The legal bases of the provisions governing the precious metals control are:

• Federal Act of 20 June 1933 on the control of trade in precious metals and articles of precious metals (Precious Metals Control Act, PMCA; SR 941.31).
• Ordinance of 8 May 1934 on the control of trade in precious metals and articles of precious metals (Precious Metals Control Ordinance, PMCO; SR 941.311).
• Ordinance of 17. August 2005 on the fees for precious metals control (SR 941.319).
• Instructions of 1st November 2009 about the application of the precious metals legislation (PMCI, D. 243)

Services

• Determination of the fineness of gold, silver, platinum and palladium alloys.
• Examination of the precious metal coatings.
• Control and official marking.
• Market supervision and border control.

On request

• Analyses of ores, salts, waste and solutions containing Au, Ag, Pd, Pt.
• Semi-quantitative (non-destructive) analyses on finished articles.

Address

Precious Metal Control
Postpassage 5
CH 4002 Basel

Tel : (++41) 061 201 22 33
Fax : (++41) 061 201 22 35
Email : [email protected]

External links

• www.ezv.admin.ch/ezv