LEGAL NEWSLINE

AVENEL, N.J. (Legal Newsline) - New Jersey Acting Attorney General John Hoffman announced 936 civil citations against 21 jewelry stores on Thursday that allegedly violated state consumer protection laws.

The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and its Office of Weights and Measures worked with multiple state police departments to crack down on cash-for-gold shops that allegedly attempted to cheat consumers who sold precious metals. Jewelry stores are required to keep their scales in plain view of sellers, use a scale that was certified by the Office of Weights and Measures, post the prices offered for precious metals and maintain receipts with required information.

"New Jersey's cash-for-gold laws serve two important functions," Hoffman said. "On one hand they require jewelers to be transparent about their pricing and the evaluation of precious metals when buying from consumers. On the other hand, they help fight the sale of stolen jewelry, by requiring the buyers to maintain a fully detailed record that can be provided to police."

The civil violations were filed as summonses in municipal court, with each violation carrying a penalty of $500 to $1,000.

Stores in Fairfield that received the citations included Six Star Jewelry, Haniken Jewelers, Elizabeth Jewelry, Jewelry by Marcus, David's Sons Jewelry and John Anthony Jewelry. Stores in Jersey City that received citations included Village Jewelry, Christina Jewelry and Taj Diamond Inc. Union-based stores included Gold Star Jewelers, City Line Exchange and Capital Diamond. Stores in Plainfield that received citations included Electronic & Jewelry Spot, Gold Breeze Jewelry, Gold Star Jewelry, Dia Jewelers and Bong Jewelers. The Edison-based International Gold Buyers, the Vauxhall-based D & M Jewelers, the North Bergen-based M & J Jewelers and the Emerson-based Reliance Gold Buyers also received civil citations for alleged consumer protection law violations.