HONG KONG jeweler Chow Sang Sang has removed all 18 karat gold products from its 170 mainland stores, after mainland authorities found one of its products to be low in gold content.
The company said the move is aimed at ensuring the quality of all products sold.
A report this month on 56 jewelry products tested by the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce showed some to be of unsatisfactory quality, including Chow Sang Sang s 54860B 18K gold bracelet. The quality supervision body said its gold content was lower than that set by the authorities.
In addition to gold-purity problems, jewelry from 23 other companies, including Make Lumer and Ruijinghang, were also found to have problems ranging from diamond-clarity issues to insufficient silver content.
The well-known jeweler announced Friday that buyers of 18k gold bracelets will receive a full refund at any Chow Sang Sang store on the mainland until Dec. 31.
Lan Yan, an expert at the National Gemstone Testing Center, said, The insufficient content problem might be caused by the soldering process, as currently there are no standards on soldering materials.
Other jewelry makers on the list have yet to offer refunds to customers.
A senior official with the testing Center said authorities will meet Chow Kwen Lim, chairman of Chow Sang Sang Jewelry, today to address public concerns over the allegations.
Chow Sang Sang assistant communications manager Cathy Tam Sau-yee on Saturday reassured Hong Kong shoppers of the quality of its jewelry products. She said as far as she knows, the 54860B model bracelet was only sold on the mainland, and had reached very few end-users.
She said the decision to pull all 18k ornaments as well was to ensure quality control before putting them back on the market again.
In a statement posted on its Web site, the company said the production and finishing process is unique for the ornaments because they were handmade.
(SD-Agencies)
