'This special occasion to unveil locally-refined and
Hallmarked gold is important for us as a nation, because it fulfils our aspiration of adding value to precious minerals mined here in Ghana,' he said.
Volumes of 9ct gold - the long serving old faithful of every woman's jewellery box - have been in drastic decline, from nearly 24 million articles in 2001 - 70 per cent of all items
hallmarked - to only 8 million in 2008.
The second quarter of this year saw a halt to the long downward trend in hallmarking volumes, it said as the number of
hallmarked items increased by 8.3 per cent in the three months to June.
If the weight ratio of the piece meant there was more gold than silver then the piece could not be
hallmarked at all.
By law every item of gold which weighs more than one gram has to be
hallmarked by one of four official assay offices in the UK before it can be sold.