The Globe. MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1874.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 7, 8 June 1874, Page 2

The Globe. MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1874.

We called attention a short time since to the systematic adulteration of food, which has been clearly proved to be going on in England ; but there are other adulterations, which though they do not affect our health, yet touch an almost equally sensitive part of all Englishmen—viz., their pockets. Colonial youth is prone to jewellery, and the amount of money spent in buying ornaments of all sorts in Christchurch must be very considerable. A great portion of the jewellery sold here is of course of colonial manufacture, and we have only the guarantee of the seller that the gold is of the quality he states it to be. In England the test of gold for many years has been the " Hall mark," and people have been quite content to see the number of carats stamped on any article they may be purchasing. It now appears that this " Hall mark" is almost totally unreliable as an index to the quality of jewellery. At a late meeting of a considerable number of gentlemen connected with the trade, and also including the President of that useful body, the Pawnbrokers' Association, together with many ; amongst the principal pawnbrokers of the metropolis, a number of articles were examined, each bearing what to any but an expert would seem to be the genuine " Hall mark." To give some idea of the frauds daily perpetrated on an unfortunate public, even with respect to that which is looked on as first-class jewellery, and for which the highest price is paid, we will mention some of the cases which came before this meeting A neck-chain bearing the " Hall mark " as 18 carat gold, and the value of which at that standard, if genuine, would be £ll, was found on being assayed to consist almost entirely of silver and red lead, and to show how well these deceptions are carried out, we may mention that a pawnbroker actually lent £Q 10s on this chain, when its intrinsic value was only some 225. Another chain which had the " Hall mark" on every link, and was stamped as eighteen carat gold, was also assayed, and the quality proved to be jbut 11| carats. Some fraudulent East End jewellers also proffer the public " Hall-marked" gold rings at 5s each, a price that in itself is so ludicrous that we wonder at any people being found so foolish as to purchase them. On examination these articles were proved to be hollow ! and filled with cement. Numerous other cases are on record, and it is argued that there is no escape from this practice as long as the " Hall mark" is obtainable for unfinished and hollow jewellery. In some other countries, notably in France and America, the hall marking is done by the Government, and they not affix any mark until the article is completed, and this system affords some protection to the buyer j whilst in addition the shopkeeper should be compelled to guarrantee the quality of the metal he sells. In a town given to testimonials such as Christchurch is atpresent,an enormous proportion of profit may fall into the hands of a dishonest tradesman, who receives a large order for valuable plate or jewellery, which is to be presented to any public character by his or her fellow citizens, and if, as is sometimes the case, such plate should come into the market again, the difference between the price originally paid for it and the amount it would realise would be found to be very large. We recommend the subject to the notice of those who are getting up testimonials, so that they may be able to obtain something more like the proper value for their money than has been the case in many of the presentations which have taken place in this city.