New Delhi: With Dhanteras being celebrated on October 29 (Tuesday), a large number of people across the country are expected to flock the jewellery outlets, like Senco Gold, Tanishq, Joyalukkas, Kalyan Jewellers, and other brands, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has appealed to the consumers to buy gold and silver that is backed by the enduring trust of Hallmark.
Hallmarking in gold jewellery comprises 3 markings:
- BIS Standard Mark
- Purity of Gold in carats & fineness
- 6-digit Alphanumeric HUID code. HUID – Hallmarking unique ID is a unique 6-digit alphanumeric code which is marked on each gold jewellery article.
Pramod Kumar Tiwari, Director General, BIS said, “We are committed to safeguarding consumers’ gold investments during Dhanteras and beyond with BIS HUID based Hallmark. With BIS Hallmark and the easy-to-use BIS CARE App, consumers can be assured of the authenticity of their jewellery purchases.”
How to identify Hallmark
The BIS has a dedicated app where the consumers can verify the authenticity of HUID on Hallmarked gold jewellery by using the ‘Verify HUID’ icon on the BIS Care App. Notably, consumers will be charged for checking hallmarking, i.e., Rs 45/- per article, excluding taxes. There are BIS recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centres (AHCs) which enable consumers to get their Hallmarked jewellery tested by paying testing charges of Rs 200/-.
Hallmarking of Gold: BIS Care App Features
- Authenticity check of the product with ISI mark by using ‘Verify Licence Details.
- Checking the authenticity of Hallmarked jewellery item with HUID number
- The app allows checking the authenticity of electronic products with R-Number by using ‘Verify R-Number under CRS
- ‘Complaints’ option helps consumer to register complaints regarding quality of product of misuse of BIS standard
- It also enables consumers to access products under compulsory certification of BIS & Products under a simplified procedure of licensing.
- Hallmarking makes sure that the gold item is pure and the content mentioned is accurate.
- The stamp satisfies consumers that they are getting the right purity of gold (or silver).
“Under the Hallmarking Scheme of BIS, registration is granted to jewellers for selling hallmarked jewellery and recognition is given to Assaying and Hallmarking Centres for hallmarking jewellery based on purity observed during testing,” Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution stated in its release.
BIS has successfully implemented the Mandatory Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts in 256 districts of the country since 23 June 2021. Since the government made hallmarking mandatory, the number of registered jewellers have increased from 43,153 to 1, 93,567 while AHCs have increased from 948 to 1,611.
