That brilliant design or that sparkling stone may sweep you off your feet, but you should be mindful about the purity of the metal and know that it deserves the price you are paying. Fortunately, the government has acted on it with hallmarking jewellery and it’s time you go through the following key pieces of information before swiping your card!
What is Hallmarked jewellery?
Are you planning to buy a piece of gold jewellery, but thinking whether to invest in hallmark jewellery or without it? You must have heard your jeweller say several times that hallmarked jewellery is expensive, but is it really? Jewellery Diaries in our series of next few articles will address such issues and other FAQs about BIS hallmarking in jewellery.
So what is BIS Hallmark?
Indians have this huge fascination for gold and be it any occasion such as Akshaya Tritiya, Dhanteras and Valentine’s Day or wedding, we will buy gold not only to adorn ourselves but also consider it a mode of investment. You may have purchased a 22 Karat gold, but what will ensure the authenticity of the product?
Here comes hallmarking into place. It is a way to safeguard the interest of the buyer and to check if he/she is not getting duped. The BIS hallmark is a hallmarking system for gold as well as silver jewellery sold in India to certify the purity of the metal, according to the standards laid by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
Watch BIS awareness video
What does a BIS Hallmark consist of?
Hallmarked jewellery will have a BIS mark, the logo of the assaying centre, the code of the jeweller and the purity of the gold mentioned therein.
The carat value of gold ornaments in India usually ranges from 22k to 14k and is measured in three digits. For instance, a 22k gold ring will have a purity grade of 916. It means the purity is 916 parts of 1000 or 91.6%. Likewise, jewellery made of 18k and 14k gold will have a purity grade of 750 and 585, respectively.
The year of marking is also mentioned and it is denoted by a code letter decided by BIS. For e.g., code letter ‘A’ was for the year 2000, ‘B’ was for 2001, and so on.
Hallmarking Centres
Currently, there are 750 hallmarking centres in the country and according to reports, 100 more are there in the pipeline. The testing of the jewellery is approved and done in these approved hallmarking and assaying centres. In case of any discrepancy found in the purity, a complaint can be raised and the centre can be shut.
Current status
The government has recently announced that the hallmarking of jewellery will become mandatory. This comes as a huge relief for buyers because they will no longer be worried about being fleeced by unscrupulous jewellers.
