Published
Oct 17, 2017
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Government to introduce compulsory jewellery hallmarking

Published
Oct 17, 2017

Effective from October 12, jewellery with 14, 18, and 22 carats must now be hallmarked where it was not previously compulsory, according to a notification passed by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

The hallmarking of gold jewellery is now compulsory in India - Hazoorilal Legacy- Facebook


The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, 2016, was passed after changes made to it by Parliament were accepted. One of the new rules that will be implemented following its passing is the standardisation of hallmarking gold jewellery. Gold bars and coins will also have to be hallmarked but only refineries will have the power to do this. The Hallmarking Centre will be responsible for the hallmarking of jewellery and this will in turn bring greater discipline to the Indian jewellery industry.

The timing of the new regulations, just before the Diwali season when gold is traditionally given as gifts, has caused small and medium sized independent jewellers, who are more likely to sell un-hallmarked jewellery, to worry. It is also necessary for the government to clarify exactly how the process will be enacted as well as finer details. This, however, should give jewellers some time to deal with un-hallmarked stock before the regulations are fully implemented.

One aim of the BIS Act is to increase consumers’ trust in the jewellery industry and crack down on any unscrupulous behaviour on the jewellers’ part. The implementation of the BIS Act will be first rolled out in 22 cities, mostly metros, and then trickle down to more rural areas. There will be a lot of work for the BIS as, out of the approximate 300,000 jewellers in India, only ten percent already have a BIS licence for hallmarking their jewellery.

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