"We want to integrate Russian jewelry supervision systems into the EAEU countries"

There are practically no counterfeit jewelry left in Russian stores — every ring and chain can now be traced from the origin of gold and stones to the counter, Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev told "Izvestia". However, the import of products through individual EAEU countries remains a gray area. The authorities expect to close this loophole by combining control systems following the example of Belarus. Another problem is synthetic diamonds: since September, they have been banned from being mixed with natural diamonds and masked in small print. Is there still a risk of buying counterfeit goods on marketplaces and what to do if this happens, — in an interview with Alexey Moiseev "Izvestia".

"There are practically no counterfeit items left in Russian jewelry stores"

— A few years ago, you estimated the volume of the illegal jewelry market in Russia at 50 billion rubles. What has changed since then? What is the current situation?

— During this time, a number of measures have been taken, first of all, the GIIS DMDK, an information system in the field of precious metals and stones, was introduced. The movement of jewelry and ornaments cannot occur without proper accounting in the system.

The consumer can trace where the stone comes from, whether it is natural, where the gold comes from, and whether it corresponds to the declared sample. All this can be traced. A person can scan the code from a smartphone or enter it into the system, get reliable information and check what they are selling.

We have been systematically implementing this system for several years and have taken full control of the jewelry market. There are practically no counterfeit items left in Russian jewelry stores.

— That is, it is practically impossible to find a chain without taking into account the DMDK in the GIIS?

— Yes, absolutely. In any case, you can always check whether the chain you are buying really meets the stated characteristics. It is enough to scan the code or enter its alphanumeric designation on the verification site.

Protect the asset: the volume of the illegal gold market in the Russian Federation was estimated at 20%

Against this background, the Ministry of Finance will tighten control over the turnover of precious metals coins.

"The sites themselves understand that their reputation can suffer greatly"

— At the same time, there are reports in the media about decorations on marketplaces whose numbers cannot be verified. How do you deal with this problem? Are additional measures needed?

— Measures have also been taken to combat this. First of all, the marketplaces sold jewelry that had been illegally imported into Russia, counterfeit jewelry produced in other countries. Sometimes it came directly, sometimes through the EAEU countries, between which there is no customs control.

The norm has now been introduced: any item that enters Russia that contains precious metals and stones must be certified. This is especially true for the stones, with them there were the most fakes.

And now the sites themselves understand that their reputation can suffer greatly, so they are taking measures to exclude such products from their platforms. We do not see the need for additional steps yet. The combination of measures to combat the import of counterfeit goods and the activity of the marketplaces themselves, in my opinion, solves the problem.

— And what should the buyer do if he has already purchased such a piece of jewelry and he did not receive what was stated? Who monitors similar products on marketplaces?

— First of all, the sites themselves make sure that this does not get to them. Secondly, there is a supervisory authority, the Federal Assay Chamber, which controls, among other things, marketplaces selling jewelry.

If a person has already bought a product, and it turned out to be not what was stated, it is necessary to contact the Assay Chamber and, of course, the consumer protection authorities.

"Now we have created a common jewelry market with Belarus"

— You said that in September last year you had almost completed the establishment of control over the jewelry market. What gaps still remain and what needs to be done to close them? For example, with jewelry from abroad?

— There is practically no counterfeit production in Russia. Domestic manufacturers, as a rule, are conscientious, besides, reliable control has been established over them.

Therefore, we are working with partners from neighboring countries. The import is controlled by the customs authorities, but there is no such control between the states of the Eurasian Economic Union. We want to integrate Russian jewelry supervision systems into the EAEU countries.

At this stage, there is full integration with Belarus. I must say, they also have a good system that meets Russian standards. In fact, we have now created a common jewelry market with Belarus.

We do not see this in other EAEU partner countries yet, for us it is a potentially gray area. Therefore, we will continue to work to integrate control systems based on our experience with Belarus.

— How exactly will this happen?

— I'll tell you about the example of Belarus. They have their own system that works similarly to the DMDK GIS. Any jewelry made of precious metals and stones is reflected in it, its origin is traced.

There is a gateway for data exchange between the two systems. Now, a person who buys a Belarusian product in the Russian Federation, as well as a Belarusian consumer who purchases a Russian product, can trace the entire chain: where it was produced, where the manufacturer got the stones, metal, and so on.

We want to do the same with other countries.

Gold cutoff: low demand for jewelry has brought down their production

Why do consumers buy such products less often and what can the market expect next?

""It is now forbidden to use conventional names like "nedobrilliant", "polubrilliant"

— Synthetic diamonds are another sore point for jewelers. Is there any work in this direction?

— The problem was how such products were sold. No one hid that it was synthetic, but they wrote in small print and placed such products on the same showcase as jewelry with natural stones.

Since September, a regulation has come into force that obliges sellers to clearly identify: this is a diamond, and this is synthetic. "Moreover, "it is now forbidden to use conventional names like "nedobrilliant", "semibrilliant" and so on. Diamonds are only diamonds made from natural diamonds.

And we see that the industry has reacted: indeed, the products have been divided into showcases and clearly labeled. It doesn't get mixed up anymore, so I think the measure worked.

People need to understand what they are getting: synthetics — in fact, jewelry — or a natural stone that will be with them all their lives.