The “Gold Observatory” has revealed that the crisis of gold purity tampering in Syria extends far beyond isolated cases of fraud, touching a vital portion of the old gold inventory circulating in the market.
Recent inspections uncovered items stamped as 21-karat gold with actual purity levels dropping to around 760 parts per thousand instead of the mandated 875 parts, bringing the metal closer to 18-karat purity.
This discrepancy represents a loss of up to 11.5 grams of pure gold in every 100 grams, imposing heavy financial burdens on consumers during resale or liquidation.
In response, the General Authority for Precious Metals Administration has moved swiftly since 2025 to reorganize the market by discovering and destroying large quantities of non-compliant items, revoking licenses of violating workshops, and adopting a new laser hallmark following the forgery of old stamps.
Strict new regulations now hold jewelers fully accountable for gold purities in their shops and prohibit trading used jewelry without prior verification.
While precise official figures on the total percentage of adulterated gold remain unavailable, these decisive actions highlight serious efforts to safeguard the integrity of Syria’s gold cycle and prevent old violations from carrying over into new market cycles.
