New rules require consumers buying gold to follow Bureau of India Standards (BIS) regulations. Gold jewellery or artefacts must have a 6-digit alphanumeric Hallmark Unique Identification Number (HUID) to be sold as hallmarked.
Hallmarking is the official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in an article. In India, hallmarks are used as a guarantee of purity or fineness of precious metal articles according to BIS.
Gold jewellery hallmarking usually has four logos: the BIS logo, the purity of the article, the jeweller’s logo, and the Assaying and Hallmarking Centre’s logo.
The HUID code is a unique six-digit alphanumeric identification number consisting of numbers and letters. Each item of jewellery will receive a unique HUID at the time of hallmarking.
In India, at present two precious metals namely gold and silver have been brought under the purview of Hallmarking.
Jewellery can be tested for hallmarking. The charges are Rs 200 for up to four articles and Rs 45 per article for five or more articles, according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
On the outside of the sales outlet, the registered jeweller shall display the logo of BIS with the wording “Hallmarked jewellery available for sale.”
Jewellers must display their BIS registration certificate and have a 10X magnification magnifying glass to show hallmarks. They must also explain the relationship between fineness and carat weight.
Consumers can sell old un-hallmarked jewellery lying with them to jewellers. The jeweller may melt the jewellery and make new jewellery and get it hallmarked before reselling it.
Mandatory hallmarking does not apply to gold bullion and coins. Only BIS-approved Refinery/Mints can hallmark gold bullion/coins of 999/995 fineness.
How to verify the HUID mark?
Consumers can verify and validate hallmarked gold jewellery items with HUID numbers by using the ‘verify HUID’ feature on the BIS CARE app. The app is available for both Android and iOS.
During verification, consumers can see details about the jeweller, their registration number, the purity and type of article, and the hallmarking centre that tested it.
Even a regular consumer can use this information to authenticate the item being purchased by matching it with the article type and purity.