A hallmark is a stamp added to jewelry to certify the purity of gold, silver, platinum or palladium used.
It can usually be found inside a piece of jewelry or on the small tag, off the clasp on the chain.
Why is hallmarking jewelry so important?
Hallmarking jewelry is important as it provides a guarantee of the metal purity used in the piece. This helps to protect consumers from purchasing items that may not be made of the metal they believe they are paying for and also helps to ensure that the metal used meets certain quality standards. The hallmark serves as an independent certification of the metal’s purity and can help increase consumer confidence in the piece.
Why does all the jewelry need to be hallmarked?
Not all jewelry needs to be hallmarked, but it is a requirement in many countries to hallmark certain items made of precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. This is because hallmarking provides consumers with an assurance of the metal purity and quality of the jewelry piece, which can help protect them from purchasing items that may not meet the metal content they believe they are paying for. Additionally, hallmarking also helps to ensure that the jewelry meets certain quality standards and helps to promote consumer confidence in the product.
The traditional hallmarking stamp, which currently features four symbols including the BIS logo, a mark indicating the purity in karats, and the fineness, will be updated to include a six-digit alphanumeric HUID. This unique identifier must be separately tagged on each piece of jewelry. Jewelry weighing less than 2 grams and pieces made using jadau, kundan, and polki techniques and designs are exempt from this requirement. The quality of gold jewelry can be verified using the BIS Care App by entering the HUID.
What is HUID?
The HUID has been compared to an Aadhaar card or property document and is expected to benefit organized players in the jewelry industry who already hallmark their pieces.
To ensure that you are buying hallmarked gold jewelry, consider the following points:
- The BIS Mark
- The purity and fineness indicated in karats.
- Pure 24-karat gold is too soft for daily use, so it is often combined with an alloy to increase durability. The alloy is a mixture of metals such as silver, copper, platinum, palladium, and zinc.
- The “K” in the karat measurement refers to the gold content, with karats representing how many parts, by weight, of pure gold are present in the 24 parts of the alloy.
New hallmarking rules –
- The new standards for gold hallmarking in the country changed from June 1, 2022.
- Jewellers can only sell hallmarked gold jewellery in India since June 1, 2022.
- A stamping fee of Rs 35 per gold item will also be applied to each gold item you purchase.
To know more about the new hallmarking regulations, check out All about the New Gold Hallmarking Regulation, 2021 | JK Diamonds Institute
In conclusion, hallmarking jewelry is an important process that provides a guarantee of metal purity and quality to consumers. By marking jewelry with a hallmark, consumers can be confident that they are purchasing a piece made of the metal they believe they are paying for and that it meets certain quality standards. This helps to protect consumers from potential fraud and ensures that they are getting the value they expect for their money. Additionally, hallmarking also helps to promote confidence in the jewelry industry and provides a standard for the precious metals used in jewelry production. Overall, hallmarking plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the jewelry industry and protecting consumers.
