Hallmarking is the one part of buying gold that is completely objective. It is not a matter of design taste or brand trust: every gold and silver jewellery piece sold in India must carry a hallmark, and the mark tells you exactly what purity you are paying for. Here is how to read it in about thirty seconds.
What a hallmark actually certifies
A hallmark is the official record of the precious-metal content of an article. It is applied by a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre after testing, not by the jeweller. In India, both gold and silver are covered by the Hallmarking Scheme.
The four elements on a hallmarked piece
- The BIS mark — the standardisation mark of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
- The purity grade — the fineness in parts per thousand. On gold that reads 22K916 (91.6% pure, the standard for most Indian jewellery), 18K750 (75%), or 14K585 (58.5%). On silver you will see 925 or 835.
- The jeweller’s identification mark — the registered mark of the seller, so a piece is traceable to the counter it came from.
- The HUID — a six-character alphanumeric Unique Identification number, unique to that one piece.
Purity grades in plain numbers
- 24K (999) — far too soft for everyday settings; used for coins, bars and investment pieces.
- 22K916 — 91.6% gold. The traditional standard for Indian jewellery, and what most bridal and antique work is made in.
- 18K750 — 75% gold. Harder and paler; common in diamond-set and modern Western-style jewellery.
- 14K585 — 58.5% gold. Durable and inexpensive, popular in daily-wear pieces.
Why the HUID matters to you
Since 1 July 2021, gold jewellery sold in India must carry a HUID, and sale of hallmarked jewellery without one is prohibited. The HUID is what makes the mark verifiable by you rather than merely persuasive. Crores of pieces have been hallmarked with a HUID since the rule began.
How to verify it yourself
- Install the BIS CARE app, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
- Open “Verify HUID” and enter the six-character code from the piece.
- The app returns the details registered against that article — so you are confirming the piece in your hand against the BIS record, not against the seller’s word.
What hallmarking does not cover
A hallmark speaks to metal purity only. It says nothing about the stones set in the piece, which need their own certification, and nothing about the quality of the craftsmanship or the design. A hallmarked piece can still be poorly made. Conversely, good workmanship does not remove the need for a hallmark.
If your old jewellery has no hallmark
Pieces bought before the rules, or inherited, often carry no mark. You have two options: ask your jeweller to run an XRF test, which is non-destructive and takes moments, or take the piece to any BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre, which tests consumer samples on a chargeable basis. Either route settles the question of purity before you sell, exchange or insure the piece.
Every gold piece we sell in Sector 35C is hallmarked, and we will hand you a lens and let you read the HUID yourself before you decide. It is your metal, and you should be able to check it.