How to check Gold Hallmarking : If you are buying gold jewellery, it is important to see that it is hallmarked. This is because it is mandatory to hallmark gold jewelery with HUID number. The hallmarking done by BIS on gold jewelery shows whether the purchased gold is pure and what is the scale of its purity. To check the hallmarking of any jewellery, it is important to have information about the signs associated with it.
Why is hallmarking of gold jewelery important?
The Government of India has made hallmarking of gold jewelery mandatory from 16 June 2021. After this, some amendments were made in the hallmarking signs on July 1, 2021. On April 1, 2023, the government declared that jewelers cannot sell any gold jewelery unless it bears a 6-digit Hallmark Unique Identification i.e. HUID number. Hallmarking of gold jewelery in India is done by the Bureau of Indian Standards or Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). BIS certification confirms the purity of gold.
Gold hallmarking ensures that buyers get the correct proportionate amount of gold in the jewelery and protects them from unscrupulous sellers. It also serves as a certification of the purity of gold in jewellery. Since the purity of gold is certified by BIS, there is a possibility of getting a fair price by selling gold jewelery anywhere in the country.
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Hallmarking signs or marks
According to the Department of Consumer Affairs, the BIS hallmark on gold jewelery uses three symbols:
1. Standard Mark of BIS
2. Grade of purity
3. 6-digit alpha-numeric code, also known as HUID number.
To check whether any jewelery has been hallmarked by a BIS-authorised laboratory, it is important to understand the meaning of the symbols embossed on gold jewellery. Let us know what the three symbols and their meanings are:
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1. BIS Standard Mark
BIS Logo is the first indication of hallmark on gold jewellery. This triangle-shaped logo seal indicates that the purity of the gold jewelery has been tested at a BIS-certified centre.
2. Purity grade of gold
The second indication of hallmark on gold jewelery is to identify the grade of purity. It tells you the degree of purity of gold in a particular jewellery. The purity of gold will determine the price you pay for that gold jewellery. For example, if you buy 22KT gold jewelry, its price will be higher than 18KT gold jewelry. This is because 22KT gold jewelry contains 91.6% gold whereas 18KT gold jewelry contains 75% gold.
Hallmarking is done in 6 categories
According to the information given on the BIS website, hallmarking of gold jewelery is done in 6 categories: 14K, 18K, 20K, 22K, 23K and 24K. The hallmarks engraved on gold jewelery include 22K916, 18K750, 14K585 etc. If 22K916 is printed on a gold piece of jewelry, it means that the piece of jewelry contains 91.6% gold and the rest (8.4%) is zinc or some other metal. Similarly, writing 18K750 means that the gold jewelery contains 75% gold. 14K585 means that the jewelry contains 14 carat gold, in which the gold ratio is 58.5%.
3. alphanumeric code
The third symbol engraved on hallmarked gold jewelery is a 6 digit alphanumeric code – also known as Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID). It is different for every piece of jewelry. Customers can verify this alphanumeric code and the authenticity of the jewelery using the Verify HUID feature of the BIS Care app.
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hallmarking fees
While purchasing hallmarked jewellery, buyers have to pay hallmarking fees. This fee is charged according to the number of jewellery, not according to the weight of the jewellery. At present this fee is Rs 45 per item. The minimum charge for the entire consignment is Rs 200. Apart from this, tax is also levied on this charge.
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What will happen to the old hallmarking mark?
If you have purchased hallmarked gold jewelery on or before June 30, 2021, it will have old hallmarking marks on it. Apart from the BIS logo (BIS Logi) and purity symbol, you will also find the identification number of the testing center and the identification number of the jeweller. But from July 1, 2021, both these signs have been replaced by the alphanumeric HUID code. If a customer purchases gold jewelery with old hallmarking symbols, it is not necessary for him to get it re-hallmarked with the new HUID code.