The third phase of the mandatory hallmarking vide Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts (Third Amendment) Order, 2023 came into force from September 8, 2023.
What is Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number in gold jewellery
Consumers are encouraged to verify the authenticity and purity of the hallmarked gold jewellery items with HUID number purchased by using ‘verify HUID’ in BIS Care app which can be downloaded from the play store.
What is Hallmarking
Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in precious metal articles. Hallmarks are thus official marks used in India as a guarantee of purity or fineness of precious metal articles.
What is HUID number?
According to the Department of Consumer Affairs website, the Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number is a six-digit Alphanumeric code made up of letters and digits. Every item of jewellery will be issued a HUID number at the moment of hallmarking, and each one will be unique. At the Assaying & Hallmarking centre, the jewellery is hand stamped with the unique number.Hallmarked jewellery provides third party assurance and satisfaction that customer gets right purity of gold/silver for the given price (value for money).14 important FAQs answered on gold hallmarking
How to check authenticity of gold jewellery using BIS Care app
According to a tweet on the BIS’s official Twitter account, one can check authenticity of hallmarked jewellery by using ‘verify HUID’ feature on the BIS Care App.
The app can be downloaded from the Google store and is available in Hindi and English language.
After downloading the app, consumers should refer to the “check licence details” area to verify the legitimacy of products with the ISI brand. They should proceed to the “verify HUID” area if it was for hallmarked jewellery.
How much does it cost to get a gold article hallmarked?
Hallmarking charges are paid per article irrespective of the weight of the article.
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on March 4, 2022, said the hallmarking fee for gold jewellery and artefacts have been raised to Rs 45 per item from Rs 35. Similarly, hallmarking fee for silver jewellery and artefacts have been raised to Rs 35 per item, from Rs 25. However, the minimum consignment fee for hallmarking of gold and silver jewellery/artefacts have not been hiked.
i) Following hallmarking charges are applicable for gold articles:
» Rs. 45/- per article
» Minimum charges for a consignment shall be Rs. 200/- (Services Tax and other levies as applicable shall be extra)
ii) Following hallmarking charges are applicable for silver articles:
» Rs. 35/- per article
» Minimum charges for a consignment will be Rs. 150.00. (Services Tax and other levies as applicable shall be extra).
Does hallmark charges include making charges and wastage charges?
No.
Can a regular person get his or her hallmarked jewellery examined for purity?
Yes, after paying Rs. 200 in testing fees to any BIS-approved A&H centre. The list of BIS recognised A&H centres can be found under the hallmarking category on the BIS website, www.bis.gov.in.
