The fineness of precious metals is determined by assay offices and assayers certified by the Swiss Central Office for Precious Metals Control. Only they can guarantee the authenticity, purity and origin of precious metal bars with their signature. For this purpose, each cast or minted product must bear the assay mark of the license holder.
Since 1991, Alessandro Ruffoni has been one of the certified assayers of the Swiss precious metals supplier Argor-Heraeus. His signature is found on all certificates for precious metal bars produced by Argor-Heraeus as well as Heraeus.
Following Alessandro Ruffoni’s retirement in 2023, the signature on banking product certificates was gradually replaced by that of his successor, Simone Marsan.
Simone Marsan joined Argor-Heraeus in 2007 and is Head of the Analytical Laboratory since 2016. Both Alessandro Ruffoni and Simone Marsan have been accredited as certified assayers (also referred to as trade assayers or sworn assayers) by the Swiss Central Office for Precious Metals Control.