- Date : 25/04/2023
- Read: 3 mins
India has introduced new hallmarking rules for gold and artefact sales, requiring HUID and increasing traceability, customer confidence, and quality.
The sale of gold jewellery and artefacts without hallmark compliance is now completely prohibited by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Effective 1 April 2023, only items with the Hallmark Unique Identification Number (HUID) will be permitted to be sold in India. HUID is a 6-digit alphanumeric number that signifies the uniqueness of the gold jewellery or artefact.
Also Read: Selling gold? Here are 5 things you must know:
More insight into the hallmarking rules
Hallmarking checks the quality and records the composition of the gold or silver item. All HUID hallmarked jewellery, and artefacts will contain the BIS emblem, the item’s purity, and the HUID. Hallmarking of gold and silver jewellery has been prevalent in India since 2000. Since June 2021, hallmarking has been mandatory for 288 districts in India. The BIS introduced the hallmarking scheme in India to assign the unique HUID on all hallmarked items.
Also Read: Gold’s steady glow: A reliable choice amid economic turmoil
Since then, hallmark gold in India bore the 6-digit HUID or the erstwhile 4-digit ID. Old hallmarked jewellery had the 4-digit HUID, while the new 6-digit scheme was introduced on 1 July 2021. The prevalence of two different coding schemes created confusion among consumers, which should be settled with this new gold jewellery hallmarking rule.
An important addition to the six-digit HUID is that, apart from having the BIS logo and purity information, it will also be traceable through the HUID number.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has confirmed that over 3 lakh gold articles are hallmarked daily with a gold Hallmark Unique Identification Number in India. There are one or more assaying centres in 339 districts across the country.
Also Read: Don’t buy gold before reading this: Government announces new SGBs for 2023
How to verify hallmark compliance
BIS has a mobile application named BIS Care. You can enter the HUID of the jewellery you purchase in the app. All authentic HUIDs will have their records maintained in the HUID Care app. Once you enter the HUID, you will get the item's registration number, its type and purity, and the hallmarking centre's details.
You can also register complaints and offer feedback on the app. If, for example, the jewellery's actual purity is lower than the purity indicated in the HUID, you are entitled to a compensation of two times the difference between the purity in value and the testing fee. This is ensured under the 2018 BIS Rules.
The Press Information Bureau's release of 4 March 2023 said that hallmarked gold jewellery and artefacts without the 6-digit HUID would be prohibited from 1 April 2023. The release further said that it would safeguard the consumer interests and increase their confidence, traceability and quality of the sold items.
Thus, the new hallmarking rules will end the confusion between the four and six-digit HUIDs, and instil customer confidence, consumer protection and quality of gold jewellery and artefacts in India. As a consumer, ensure your new gold jewellery complies with these new gold sale rules.
The sale of gold jewellery and artefacts without hallmark compliance is now completely prohibited by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Effective 1 April 2023, only items with the Hallmark Unique Identification Number (HUID) will be permitted to be sold in India. HUID is a 6-digit alphanumeric number that signifies the uniqueness of the gold jewellery or artefact.
Also Read: Selling gold? Here are 5 things you must know:
More insight into the hallmarking rules
Hallmarking checks the quality and records the composition of the gold or silver item. All HUID hallmarked jewellery, and artefacts will contain the BIS emblem, the item’s purity, and the HUID. Hallmarking of gold and silver jewellery has been prevalent in India since 2000. Since June 2021, hallmarking has been mandatory for 288 districts in India. The BIS introduced the hallmarking scheme in India to assign the unique HUID on all hallmarked items.
Also Read: Gold’s steady glow: A reliable choice amid economic turmoil
Since then, hallmark gold in India bore the 6-digit HUID or the erstwhile 4-digit ID. Old hallmarked jewellery had the 4-digit HUID, while the new 6-digit scheme was introduced on 1 July 2021. The prevalence of two different coding schemes created confusion among consumers, which should be settled with this new gold jewellery hallmarking rule.
An important addition to the six-digit HUID is that, apart from having the BIS logo and purity information, it will also be traceable through the HUID number.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has confirmed that over 3 lakh gold articles are hallmarked daily with a gold Hallmark Unique Identification Number in India. There are one or more assaying centres in 339 districts across the country.
Also Read: Don’t buy gold before reading this: Government announces new SGBs for 2023
How to verify hallmark compliance
BIS has a mobile application named BIS Care. You can enter the HUID of the jewellery you purchase in the app. All authentic HUIDs will have their records maintained in the HUID Care app. Once you enter the HUID, you will get the item's registration number, its type and purity, and the hallmarking centre's details.
You can also register complaints and offer feedback on the app. If, for example, the jewellery's actual purity is lower than the purity indicated in the HUID, you are entitled to a compensation of two times the difference between the purity in value and the testing fee. This is ensured under the 2018 BIS Rules.
The Press Information Bureau's release of 4 March 2023 said that hallmarked gold jewellery and artefacts without the 6-digit HUID would be prohibited from 1 April 2023. The release further said that it would safeguard the consumer interests and increase their confidence, traceability and quality of the sold items.
Thus, the new hallmarking rules will end the confusion between the four and six-digit HUIDs, and instil customer confidence, consumer protection and quality of gold jewellery and artefacts in India. As a consumer, ensure your new gold jewellery complies with these new gold sale rules.
