The discovery of a jewellery scam worth £400,000 has helped net Hull City Council’s Trading Standards team a prestigious national award. Suspicions were raised in 2023, over a Hull-based online trader selling large volumes of ‘gold’ chain from a home address. The team investigated and found the chains were in fact cheap metal, cut from a reel of chain and stamped with a fake hallmark. The counterfeit jewellery seized from the property would have been sold for £400,000, to customers believing they were buying genuine gold.
Trading Standards officers worked closely with the Sheffield-based Assay Office, one of four in the country. The Assay Office tests precious metals to prove authenticity, and is the only UK authority which can carry out hallmarking. Tests by the body proved the seized chains were cheap fakes, and that any hallmarks were not genuine.
The team scooped the prestigious Touchstone Award for their work, presented by the British Hallmarking Council. They were also commended for their innovative work with the Natural Diamond Council to ensure retailers are making it clear when diamonds are natural, and when they are lab grown. Rachel Stephenson, head of public protection; Chris Wilson, trading standards manager; and Ian Mattinson, lead officer for the work, found they had won at the National Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) conference in June, and the gong was officially handed over in a ceremony at the Guildhall on Friday October 11.
Cllr Charles Quinn, whose portfolio includes Trading Standards, said: “The team have been rightly recognised for their committed and innovative work. They’ve got fantastic results and importantly, protected the public from falling victim to this scam.
“It can be very difficult for people to know what they’re buying is genuine; determining something is a fake, particularly when it includes a hallmark is really hard. This work protects customers and also reputable retailers, who may lose trade to slightly cheaper fakes.
“It’s fantastic the effort and innovation has been recognised. Much of the work teams like Trading Standards do can go unnoticed, but it’s happening every day and helping ensure goods people buy are safe and genuine”.
Noel Hunter OBE, Chairman of the British Hallmarking Council, who presented the team with the award, said: “Work like this is so important because the jewellery industry is misunderstood. It’s thought of as something elitist or the province of the rich, but the vast majority is bought by ordinary people, usually to mark special moments.
“Gold and silver is very difficult to judge for an ordinary citizen, so it’s only work like this which uncovers counterfeit items. Hallmarking is actually one of the oldest forms of consumer protection in the UK and a genuine hallmark confirms the authenticity of a piece of jewellery.
“What the team have done is hugely important, not just for customers but for the local economy. Many retailers are small companies, impacted by Brexit, covid and internet sales. It’s hard to compete and hard to export, so tackling the threat of those selling counterfeit goods is vital. I congratulate them on their important and innovative work”.
