Ask Your Goldsmith:
Names or Trade Marks

Hi Hartmut,

I was wondering if Jewellers are allowed to engrave their own brand names on their stock, on the back of rings, watches, pendants etc. My guess is because they are selling on behalf of someone else it is against the law, but then I thought if they have bought the jewellery themselves, (as stock) isn't it theirs to do what they want? I dont know the law and am having trouble finding the answers. I'm writing a story and would like to know if they can do this. Can you help?

Thanks so much
Leeann


Hi Leeann!

Thank you for your inquiry!

As you read my articles, you must know I'm a goldsmith and not a lawyer ;-) So to answer your question, here is my personal opinion.

As far as I'm concerned any jeweller, or jewellery shop owner for that matter, can put his own name of the store or shop or a registered brand name on his items without any problems.

To stamp the precious metals (like gold, sterling silver or platinum) for their percentage of fine metal content, there has to be "a registered trademark stamp" next to the Gold KT, Sterling or .950 Platinum stamp. The origins of these trade mark stamps are usually from the country where the item is made. So if we manufactured a precious metal item in our shop, we stamp it ourselves with our own registered Canadian Trade Mark, next to the KT stamp.

We are licensed by the Government of Canada to stamp all precious metals, so all consumers have the assurance of accuracy of the fine metal content, with its high international standard, and of our Canadian Department of Consumers and Corporate Affairs and its Trade Mark Office.

If I wanted to put my own name on my jewellery items for the record of authenticity, it's up to me! It would be like signing a painting or putting my name under my writings. But this would not be a registered trade mark, even though it is my own mark of a design of my liking and it would automatically become my own personal mark for my jewellery items. Like a signature lets say. It would become my intellectual property like my writings for instance and all other things I make with my hands.

http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&q=intellectual+property+copyrights&spell=1 :: http://www.timestream.com/stuff/neatstuff/mmlaw.html

Hope to have answered your question!

For more information, please read my other articles about Buying and Selling Jewellery, About Old Gold and Taking Care of Your Jewellery.

Have a Question? Get the Answer! info@westyorkjewellers.com

Sincerely,

Hartmut Reinsch
President
West York Jewellers
September 2005