What goes wrong

The box said sterling

On this page11

The box was generic and printed The piece itself was unmarked Two lines shared one box stock A fineness mark with no qualifier A quality mark with no trademark The trademark was filed late The clasp did not match the chain The solder pulled the assay The easy solder was used because it flowed The fix is to separate the lines References

Printed boxes bought in bulk are the commonest version of this.

The box was generic and printed

Bought by the hundred with "sterling" already on it, and used for whatever is being sold that month. The statute names boxes, packages, covers and wrappers specifically.

The piece itself was unmarked

Which does not help. The prohibition is on the article OR the tag OR the card OR the label OR the box OR the package OR the cover OR the wrapper.

Two lines shared one box stock

A sterling line and a plated line, same presentation boxes, picked from the same shelf on a busy day. That is how an honest maker ends up on the wrong side of it.

A fineness mark with no qualifier

A plated article may not carry a fineness indication unless accompanied by wording identifying it as rolled gold plate, gold plate, gold electroplate or gold filled.

A quality mark with no trademark

Stamping 14K without also applying a registered or applied-for trademark, or your name. The claim has to have an author.

The trademark was filed late

Thirty days runs from the article being placed in commerce, not from when the paperwork was started.

The clasp did not match the chain

Parts of a multi-part article must carry quality indications matching in pattern and size, in lettering at least as large as the quality mark. Bought-in findings are where this breaks.

The solder pulled the assay

A flooded joint on a small piece, several times over, against a tolerance of three thousandths for the article and seven for the whole thing including solder.

The easy solder was used because it flowed

And it is usually the lowest in fineness. A bench habit with an arithmetic consequence.

The fix is to separate the lines

Different box stock, stored apart, with nothing about metal printed on the generic one. It costs a shelf and it removes the whole category of failure.

References

15 U.S.C. 297(a), National Gold and Silver Stamping Act. On a plated article, "no such article, nor any tag, card, or label attached thereto, nor any box, package, cover, or wrapper in which such article is incased or inclosed, shall be stamped, branded, engraved, or imprinted with the word 'sterling' or the word 'coin'". The section also prohibits marking a plated article with a fineness indication unless accompanied by wording identifying it as rolled gold plate, gold plate, gold electroplate or gold filled. law.cornell.edu

15 U.S.C. 297(b). A person applying a quality mark indicating gold or silver content must also apply a trademark "which has been duly registered or applied for registration under the laws of the United States within thirty days after an article bearing the trademark is placed in commerce or imported into the United States, or the name of such person". Parts of a multi-part article must be marked with quality indications matching in pattern and size, in lettering at least as large as the quality mark. The provisions reach articles deposited in the United States mails or transported between states. law.cornell.edu

15 U.S.C. 295. For a gold article, the actual fineness "shall not be less by more than three one-thousandth parts" than the marked fineness. For the entire article including solder, the divergence shall "not be less by more than three one-thousandth parts" for watchcases and flatware and "not be less by more than seven one-thousandth parts" for other articles. Silver tolerances are at 15 U.S.C. 296 and were not read for this property. law.cornell.edu

Written from 15 U.S.C. 295 and 297, and from the catalog as it stood on 19 October 2026. Silver tolerances at 15 U.S.C. 296 were not read for this property and are not summarized. The FTC Jewelry Guides at 16 CFR part 23 govern how jewelry is described and are a separate body of rules. Pickle and patina chemistry is a safety data sheet question and no handling advice is given here.