The BIS Hallmark is a

hallmark A hallmark is an official Mark (sign), mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term ''Wikti ...

ing system for

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

as well as

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

jewellery Jewellery (or jewelry in American English) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches, ring (jewellery), rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the ...

sold in India, certifying the purity of the metal. It certifies that the piece of jewellery conforms to a set of standards laid by the

Bureau of Indian Standards The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the National Standards Body of India under Department of Consumer affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government ...

, the national standards organization of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. India is the second biggest market for gold and its jewellery. India

import An importer is the receiving country in an export from the sending country. Importation and exportation are the defining financial transactions of international trade. Import is part of the International Trade which involves buying and receivin ...

s in excess of 1000 tons annually (including unofficially smuggled gold) with negligible local production. The annual gold imports are around 50 billion US$ next only to crude oil imports widening the

trade deficit Balance of trade is the difference between the monetary value of a nation's exports and imports of goods over a certain time period. Sometimes, trade in services is also included in the balance of trade but the official IMF definition only consi ...

Gold

The BIS system of hallmarking of

jewellery began in April 2000. The standard specifications governing this system are IS 1417 (grades of gold and gold alloys, jewellery/artefacts), IS 1418 ( assaying of gold in gold

bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from ...

, gold

alloys An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have properties ...

and gold jewellery/artefacts), IS 2790 (guidelines for manufacture of 14, 18 and 22 carat gold alloys only ), IS 3095 (gold solders for use in manufacture of jewellery).

The BIS hallmark

BIS hallmark for gold jewelry consists of several components: * The BIS hallmark logo * Purity of Gold either one of this 22K916 Corresponding to 22 Carat, 18K750 Corresponding to 18 Carat and 14K585 Corresponding to 14 Carat. * 6 digit alphanumeric HUID- HALLMARK UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION

Silver

BIS introduced hallmarking for

jewelry in December 2005 under IS 2112, the standard specification for 'Hallmarking of Silver Jewellery/Artefacts'.

Assaying & Hallmarking Centre

The testing of the jewelry as well as the hallmarking is done by approved Assaying & Hallmarking Centres present across all over nation. These are private undertakings approved as well as monitored by the BIS.

References

{{India certification marks Certification marks Certification marks in India Gold in India Jewellery industry in India Silver

Gold

The BIS hallmark

Silver

Assaying & Hallmarking Centre

See also

References