HBJO Regulations
The electronic police logbook for jewelry and watchmaking
With Jewely Retail, your police ledger is automatically updated with every stock movement, both in and out: stock receipt, repurchase, consignment, after-sales service, sale, or supplier return. The weight and purity of the gold are recorded on each line, eliminating the need for manual paper records.
A register that is completed with each movement
In the Jewely Retail ERP system, the police log is not a separate entry. Each movement automatically records the item in the register, from its entry to its exit, without double entry or paperwork to be kept by hand.
Automatic entry
Stock entry, repurchase, consignment (entrusted), entry into after-sales service, sale and supplier return: each movement creates the corresponding line.
Tracked entries and exits
Each object is tracked from its entry to its exit, with a sequence number and the reconciliation between the two.
Weight and purity of gold
The weight and fineness in thousandths (750, 585…) are included on each line of the precious metal articles.
What is a police logbook?
The police register covers two obligations that often overlap for the same jeweler: the register of second-hand items, which identifies the seller and combats the handling of stolen goods, and the register of precious metals, linked to the guarantee of gold, silver, and platinum. Jewely Retail combines these entries in a single digital register.
It must be kept on a daily basis and be able to be presented at any time to the competent authorities: police, gendarmerie and, for precious metals, customs.
What an inscription must contain
↓ Entrance Purchase or trade-in
- Seller's identity and contact details, taken from an identity document (purchase from a private individual)
- Nature, origin and description of the object
- Weight and fineness of the precious metal
- Order number, printed on the item
- Purchase price and date
↑ Exit Sale, return or melting down
- Date of release and destination (buyer, return or melting)
- Weight and output title
- Selling price
- Matching with the entry order number
Gold purity: carats and thousandths
The fineness of gold is expressed in thousandths of pure gold. In France, five legal finenesses are recognized. The fineness is recorded on each line of the police register for gold items.
| Carats | Thousandths | Pure gold |
|---|---|---|
| 24 carats | 999 ‰ | 99,9 % |
| 22 carats | 916 ‰ | 91,6 % |
| 18 karat | 750 ‰ | 75,0 % |
| 14 karat | 585 ‰ | 58,5 % |
| 9 carats | 375 ‰ | 37,5 % |
375 thousandths (9 carats) is the minimum fineness below which an alloy can no longer be sold as "gold" in France.
Who is responsible for keeping a police log?
Jewelers, watchmakers, and dealers who buy, take back, or resell second-hand precious metal items, who buy back gold, offer consignment sales, or melt gold. Self-employed status does not exempt them from these obligations.
Paper or electronic, and what are the penalties?
Digital record keeping is permitted provided that all mandatory information is included and retained. This is what Jewely Retail does, replacing the numbered and initialed paper register with an electronic police logbook that is continuously updated.
Maintaining the register is mandatory. Failure to maintain it, inaccurate entries, or refusal to present it to the authorities can result in penalties of up to 6 months imprisonment and a €30,000 fine.
Gold buying, precious metals and taxation
The police register goes hand in hand with the buyback of gold and watches. Jewely Retail calculates the tax on precious metals and the capital gains tax, and manages the VAT on the margin during resale, for a compliant end-to-end transaction.
Our guides on the police register
The rules in detail, for jewelers, watchmakers and goldsmiths.
See the police logbook in context
An HBJO expert shows you how your stock inflows and outflows feed into the register in Jewely Retail.
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