Gov’t polishes measures to make local jewelry sector world-class

MANILA, Philippines - The Mines and Geosciences Bureau wants the local jewelry industry to be compliant with international standards.

The MGB, through its Metallurgical Technology Division, is providing the technical knowledge on the analysis and identification of precious metals and elements for alloying.

The bureau is an active member of the technical committee on jewelry created by the Bureau of Product Standards (BPS) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The committee is tasked to make the Philippine jewelry industry compliant with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines.

The technical committee is now evaluating several provisions of the Philippine National Standards (PNS) related to jewelry manufacture to make production safer, cleaner and more efficient.

The committee is composed of representatives from the local jewelry industry through the Meycauayan Jewellers Industry Association, government agencies like the Board of Investment (BOI), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Industrial Technology Development Institute, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Also represented in the committee are consumer organizations through the National Association of Consumers, technical and vocational institutions through the Meycauayan Jewelry-Making Training Center, and testing laboratories like the MGB and Metals Industry Research and Development Center.

At present, 16 out of the 22 existing jewelry manufacture guidelines already conform to ISO guidelines.

These categories include numbering system, jewelry sizes, colors of precious metals, and types of alloying elements and coatings, which were adapted to sync local terminologies with international industry nomenclature.

Meanwhile, a draft PNS for diamond jewelry is in its final review by the  technical committee and is expected to be finished by the end of the year.