Germany
No minimum fineness for jewellery, and no compulsory hallmarking. German law regulates what may be STATED about fineness, not what may be sold — which is why 333 gold is both common and entirely lawful here while being unmarkable as "gold" in the UK.
| Property | Value | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum fineness to sell as "gold" | NONE for jewellery. § 1 permits gold and silver wares to be manufactured and sold at any fineness, and § 5(1) permits jewellery (Schmucksachen) to be stamped at any fineness provided the figure is given in thousandths. The 585 threshold in § 2(1) applies to gold GERÄTE — wares such as flatware and hollowware — not to jewellery. [1] Widely misreported. Secondary sources give either 333 or 375 as the German minimum; the statute gives 585, and only for non-jewellery wares. Conflating Geräte with Schmucksachen is what produces both wrong numbers. | §§ 1, 2(1), 5(1) |
| Minimum for "sterling silver" | On silver Geräte the fineness may be stated only at 800 or more thousandths (§ 2(1)). Silver jewellery, like gold jewellery, may be stamped at any fineness under § 5(1). [1] | §§ 2(1), 5(1) |
| Hallmarking compulsory | No [1] No independent assay. § 3 provides that where fineness IS stated on Geräte, it is by a stamp showing the thousandths and the firm — a maker mark, not an assay office mark. § 5(3) forbids that stamp on jewellery entirely. | §§ 1, 3 |
| Assay authority | None. There is no German assay office. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs is empowered under § 3 to prescribe the FORM of the stamp by regulation, but the stamp is applied by the trader, not by an independent body. [1] | § 3 |
Sources
- Gesetz über den Feingehalt der Gold- und Silberwaren (FeinGehG) — Bundesministerium der Justiz — gesetze-im-internet.de (FeinGehG §§ 1–5)