G.S. ch. 80, art. 5

in effect

G.S. 80-40 Marking gold articles regulated.

§ 80-40. Marking gold articles regulated. It shall be unlawful to make for sale, or sell, or offer to sell or dispose of, or have in possession with intent to sell or dispose of, any article of merchandise made in whole or in part of gold or any alloy of gold, and having stamped, branded, engraved or imprinted thereon, or upon any tag, card or label attached thereto, or upon any box, package, cover or wrapper in which the article is enclosed, any mark indicating or designed to indicate that the gold, or alloy of gold, therein is of a greater degree of fineness than its actual fineness, unless the actual fineness, in the case of flatware and watchcases, is not less by more than three one-thousandths parts, and in the case of all other articles is not less by more than one-half karat than the fineness indicated, according to the standards and subject to the qualifications hereinafter set forth. In any test for ascertaining the fineness of gold or alloy in the articles, according to the required standards, the part of the gold or alloy taken for the test, analysis or assay shall be a part not containing or having attached thereto any solder or alloy of inferior fineness used for brazing or uniting the parts of the articles. In addition to the foregoing tests and standards, the actual fineness of the entire quantity of gold and of its alloys contained in any article mentioned in this section (except watchcases), including all solder or alloy of inferior metal used for brazing or uniting the parts (all such gold, alloys, and solder being assayed as one piece), shall not be less by more than one karat than the fineness indicated by the mark used as above indicated. Violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor. (1907, c. 331, s. 1; C.S., s. 4012; 1993, c. 539, s. 587; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

G.S. 80-41 Marking silver articles regulated.

§ 80-41. Marking silver articles regulated. It shall be unlawful to make for sale or sell or offer to sell or dispose of or have in possession with intent to sell or dispose of - (1) Any article of merchandise made in whole or in part of silver of any alloy of silver, and having marked, stamped, branded or engraved or imprinted thereon, or upon any tag, card or label attached thereto, or upon any box, package, cover or wrapper in which the article is enclosed, the words "sterling silver" or "sterling" or any colorable imitation thereof, unless nine hundred and twenty-five one-thousandths of the component parts of the metal appearing or purporting to be silver, of which the article is manufactured, are pure silver, subject to the qualifications hereinafter set forth: Provided, that in the case of all such articles there shall be allowed a divergence in fineness of four one-thousandths parts from the foregoing standard. (2) Any article of merchandise made in whole or in part of silver or of any alloy of silver, and having marked, stamped, branded, engraved or imprinted thereon, or upon any card, tag or label attached thereto, or upon any box, package, cover or wrapper in which the article is enclosed, the words "coin" or "coin silver," or any colorable imitation thereof, unless nine hundred one-thousandths of the component parts of the metal appearing or purporting to be silver, of which the article is manufactured, are pure silver, subject to the qualifications hereinafter set forth: Provided, that in the case of all such articles there shall be allowed a divergence in fineness of four one-thousandths parts from the foregoing standards. (3) Any article of merchandise made in whole or in part of silver or of any alloy of silver, and having stamped, branded, engraved or imprinted thereon, or upon any tag, card or label attached thereto, or upon any box, package, cover or wrapper in which the article is enclosed, any mark or word (other than the word "sterling" or the word "coin") indicating, or designed to indicate, that the silver or alloy of silver in the article is of a greater degree of fineness than its actual fineness, unless the actual fineness is not less by more than four one-thousandths parts than the actual fineness indicated by the use of such mark or word, subject to the qualifications hereinafter set forth. In any test for ascertaining the fineness of the articles mentioned in this section, according to the foregoing standards, the part taken for test, analysis or assays shall be a part not containing or having attached thereto any solder or alloy of inferior metal used for brazing or uniting the parts of such article. In addition to the foregoing test and standards, the actual fineness of the entire quantity of metal purporting to be silver contained in any article mentioned in this section, including all solder or alloy of inferior fineness used for brazing or uniting the parts (all such silver, alloy or solder being assayed as one piece), shall not be less by more than ten one-thousandths parts than the fineness indicated according to the foregoing standards, by the mark employed as above indicated. Violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor. (1907, c. 331, s. 2; C.S., s. 4013; 1993, c. 539, s. 588; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

G.S. 80-42 Marking articles of gold plate regulated.

§ 80-42. Marking articles of gold plate regulated. It shall be unlawful to make for sale, or sell, or offer to sell or dispose of, or have in possession with intent to sell or dispose of, any article of merchandise made in whole or in part of inferior metal, having deposited or plated thereon or brazed or otherwise affixed thereto a plate, plating, covering or sheet of gold, or of any alloy of gold, which article is known in the market as "rolled gold plate," "gold plate," "gold-filled," or "gold electroplate," or by any similar designation, and having stamped, branded, engraved or imprinted thereon, or upon any tag, card or label attached thereto, or upon any box, package, cover or wrapper in which the article is enclosed, any word or mark usually employed to indicate the fineness of gold, unless such word be accompanied by other words plainly indicating that such article or some part thereof is made of rolled gold plate, or gold plate, or gold electroplate, or is gold-filled, as the case may be. Violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor. (1907, c. 331, s. 3; C.S., s. 4014; 1993, c. 539, s. 589; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

G.S. 80-43 Marking articles of silver plate regulated.

§ 80-43. Marking articles of silver plate regulated. It shall be unlawful to make for sale, or sell, or offer to sell or dispose of, or have in possession with intent to sell or dispose of, any article of merchandise made in whole or in part of inferior metal, having deposited or plated thereon or brazed or otherwise affixed thereto, a plate, plating, covering or sheet of silver or of any alloy of silver, which article is known in the market as "silver plate" or "silver electroplate," or by any similar designation, and having stamped, branded, engraved or imprinted thereon, or upon any tag, card or label attached thereto, or upon any box, package, cover or wrapper in which the article is enclosed, the word "sterling" or the word "coin," either alone or in conjunction with any other words or marks. Violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor. (1907, c. 331, s. 4; C.S., s. 4015; 1993, c. 539, s. 590; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14 (c)

G.S. 80-44 Violation of Article misdemeanor.

§ 80-44. Violation of Article misdemeanor. Every person, firm, corporation or association guilty of a violation of any one of the preceding sections of this Article, and every officer, manager, director or managing agent of any such person, firm, corporation or association directly participating in such violation or consenting thereto, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor: Provided, that if the person charged with violation of this Article shall prove that the article concerning which the charge was made was manufactured prior to June 13, 1907, then the charge shall be dismissed. (1907, c. 331, s. 5; C.S., s. 4016; 1993, c. 539, s. 591; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

Source: North Carolina General Assembly (ncleg.gov)URL: https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByChapter/Chapter_80.htmlFetched: 10/19/2026