From centuries, India and Gold go hand-in-hand, the shiny yellow metal is cherished by majority of the population. India is also the largest importer of Gold, with 900 tonnes of metal being imported every single year thanks to the massive jewellery industry.
Time to time the industry has faced major regulations to stabilise the unorganized sector and protect the buyer’s interest. One such major update to this industry is the “Mandatory Gold Jewellery Hallmarking” act presented by Government of India (GoI) in November 2019. But before we dive into it,
What is hallmarking?
Gold jewellery is made in various purities and due to the major retail cost of this precious yellow metal even a small change in the purity can lead to big price shift. Hallmarking is a purity certificate to ensure that the buyer is assured about the exact grams of pure gold present in their jewellery artefact.
What is BIS?
BIS or The Bureau of Indian Standards is the national Standards Body of India working under the aegis of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. It is established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 which came into effect on 23 December 1986. Wikipedia
Gold Purity and Karat Chart
| Karat | Parts Gold | Gold Percent (%) | Hallmark |
| 6K | 6/24 | 25% | 250 |
| 8K | 8/24 | 33.3% | 333 |
| 9K | 9/24 | 37.5% | 375 |
| 10K | 10/24 | 41.7% | 417 |
| 12K | 12/24 | 50% | 500 |
| 14K | 14/24 | 58.3% | 583 |
| 15K | 15/24 | 62.5% | 625 |
| 18K | 18/24 | 75% | 750 |
| 20K | 20/24 | 83.3% | 833 |
| 21K | 21/24 | 87.5% | 875 |
| 22K | 22/24 | 91.6% | 916 |
| 24K | 24/24 | 99.9% | 999 |
What Gold Hallmarking Implies?
Is Hallmarking Compulsory?
Hallmarking of gold jewellery was voluntary and will be made mandatory after this act is taken in effect. The Government had initially given date of 15th January 2021 but extended it till June considering the second wave of COVID-19 in the country.
What Does this Change?
Apart from mandatory hallmarking of the product the Government looks forward to streamlining the current complicated Gold karat structure that you have seen above and only 14K, 18K & 22K Gold jewellery artefacts will be allowed to be hallmarked and sold.
Permitted Gold Purity To Hallmark
| Karat | Parts Gold | Gold Percent (%) | Hallmark |
| 14K | 14/24 | 58.3% | 583 |
| 18K | 18/24 | 75.0% | 750 |
| 22K | 22/24 | 91.6% | 916 |
Once this law is taken into effect. Only 14K, 18K & 22K Gold jewellery articles that will be allowed to be hallmarked and be permitted to sell. Other karats will be deemed unlawful to make or sell.
Takeaways
Our response to this regulation is positive as it syncs with our mission to simplify jewellery let it pearls or gold, and make things easier for everyone to understand and purchase. This will improve the nation’s integrity in the long-term and will also protect buyer’s interests.
If you liked our article or learned something new about jewellery, remember to share this and help your friends and family understand more about purchasing gold or gold jewellery.
