Hallmarking and purity standards for gold jewellery in the UAE

The UAE regulates the purity of precious-metal articles through a national standard administered by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, with Dubai Municipality's laboratory running the emirate's Bareeq hallmarking and conformity scheme. Gold sold in the market must carry a fineness mark, and the fineness declared on the invoice must match the mark on the piece.

Karat and fineness

The standard specifies a small negative tolerance for solder and manufacturing; assay results below the tolerance mean the piece cannot carry the mark, whatever the invoice says.

What the mark shows

A compliant article carries the fineness number, the maker's registered responsibility mark and, under the Dubai scheme, the laboratory's mark. Pieces too small or delicate to stamp are accompanied by a certificate instead.

Gross weight, net weight, stones

For stone-set jewellery the invoice must distinguish gross weight from net gold weight, because the gold price is applied only to the metal. Misstating net weight is the most common finding in market inspections, and the reason AurumIQ stores both weights per line and prints both on the packing list.

Export consequences

Importing countries assay on arrival. If the declared karat on the invoice disagrees with the assay, the consignment is at best delayed and at worst seized. Keep the assay certificate for each production run with the work order, and make sure the karat on the product record is the karat you actually cast.

General information for gold traders in the UAE, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm the current position with the Ministry of Economy, the Federal Tax Authority or your compliance adviser before acting.