In the early 2000s, to protect the rights of jewelry consumers some countries started to develop methods for non-removable coding of jewelry pieces with a strictly individual set of information similar to a tax payer or annuity insurance number. The recent meetings in Moscow held by jewelry industry participants discussed the use of RFID-tags on jewelry. Alongside with that, the industry is currently developing laser bar-coding of jewelry.
The method is based on laser engraving or inscribing (using a laser scribe). Actually, starting from the 1970s, laser machines have been widely used for commemorative inscriptions on golden wedding rings, as well as to engrave various kinds of numbers: serial, factory, secret, anti-theft, sacral and other numbers.
To do the job, there are specialized firms, such as Gem & Jewelry Laser in the United States, Trotec in Austria, Wuhan Goldenlaser in China, OAO Ryazanski Radiozavod (in team with Han’s Laser). Many big-league companies such as Tiffany, Cartier or Lord & Tailor use lasers to inscribe their unique brands or logos.
The usual tools for this work are pulsed solid-state lasers: neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet lasers having 50-150 watts of power and a wavelength of 1.06 microns. They are in demand for laser marking purposes due to their wavelength, power rating and application versatility. This makes it possible to reach a higher marking speed achieving better quality and operating efficiency. The laser beam (pumped by an arc lamp and LED) is controlled by mirrors mounted on high-speed computer controlled galvanometers to direct it on the surface to be marked. Each galvanometer, one on the Y axis and the other on the X axis, makes the laser beam move within a marking field. The laser beam is focused by planer optics for greater power density at the substrate surface. It is easy to achieve a line 0.1 mm thick (or ‘thin’ it would be better to say), that is 1/4 of the diameter of a human hair. Diode lasers powered by up to 100 watts are also used for this purpose. Such an inscription is worth about 30 rubles a piece, in other words about the same price as RFID tags. Lasers are used to hallmark jewelry made of precious metals.
Of course, there are no technical problems to bar-code jewelry by cutting (almost in the same way as schoolboys used to do it with a penknife on a wooden school desk) identification codes or even two-dimensional codes; these are standard services offered by engraving firms.
The main problem is associated with regional and then global standardization of jewelry bar coding.
The first solution of this problem was presented on February 19, 2010 in Munich at the Congress of the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), and later, on March 5, at the Hong Kong International Show. A flat bar code 3x1 mm in size was inscribed on the inner or back side of a jewelry piece by way of laser engraving on metal. The typical depth of lines is 2 micrometers. Of course, laser engraving makes some metal evaporate, but this portion is negligibly small - about 0.1 milligrams (in gold it is worth about 10 kopeks). The product gets a 10-digit code which is displayed after the purchase in the invoice along with the bar code. At any time the buyer may enter the 10-digit code on the official website and get the data about the manufacturer and product.
Bar-codes use regular terminology taken from the so-called "Blue Books" describing CIBJO standards. Bar-codes may be read using a special J-ID Reader.
In addition to the code on the product, corresponding information is entered on the label, so that this individual number could be used for deliveries, customs procedures and retail trade. For example, in case of lost tags or invoices, documents can easily be recovered by reading off the code of the product at any authorized retail store.
The first Global J-ID Management Label Scheme was developed by eight Hong Kong associations of jewelry manufacturers and traders - the Gemological Association of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Gemstone Manufacturers' Association, Hong Kong Gold & Silver Ornament Workers and Merchants General Union, Hong Kong Jade Association, Hong Kong Jade Wholesalers & Retailers Association, Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association, Hong Kong & Kowloon Jade Merchants Union Association and the Hong Kong Pearl Association Ltd - in team with the SME Development Fund, Trade and Industry Department, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Currently, codes are being harmonized to practice the method.
A standard code includes six areas:
1) Company Code,
2) Product Type,
3) Metal Type,
4) Stone Type,
5) Product Structure Code,
6) Discretionary Code.
The first two areas are the basic elements in jewelry trade. The third and fourth are obvious from their titles. The fifth zone describes the weight of gold, gem’s mass, its cut and quality characteristics. In the sixth discretionary area, companies indicate their own coded information, for example to verify their products.
It is important that jewelry coding meets the international standard ISO17021: 2005.
This system is being tested at several companies in South-East Asia, such as Aaron Shum Jewelry, Hong Kong Jewellery, Kowloon Jewelry, Luk Fook Hlding, and Waddy Jewellery. Of course, so far not everyone has an appropriate laser engraving system and certified reader. In order to spread the word about this method, its founders are providing services to outside agencies. The enthusiasts believe that laser bar coding will enhance the credibility of the ‘Made-in-HK’ jewelry brand. According to CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri, the global scheme will "disclose to clients what they are buying and provide a jewellery item with instant traceability."
It is too early to speak about global application of this method. Experience is currently being accumulated. Shortcomings and failures are summarized. However, it is obvious that Russian jewelers should carefully study the experience of their foreign colleagues.
Vladimir Teslenko for Rough&Polished
