How to Obtain Jewellery Hallmark Logo?

Hallmarking is the process through which the content of the precious metal in jewellery can be determined. Hallmarks set the standard of purity and metal articles in many countries. The hallmarking scheme’s primary objective is to ensure that the manufacturers conform to the standard set by the organisation and safeguard the public from adulteration. As of now, only gold and silver have been brought under the hallmarking rules in India. The BIS hallmarking is at par with international standards. A certified jeweller can get BIS hallmarked from any Assaying and Hallmarking Centre Recognised by the BIS. In this Blog, we shall find out how to obtain Jewellery hallmark Logo

Process of hallmarking

• Hallmarking is an official recording of the proportion of precious metal in the jewellery/ artefacts.
• On June 23 2021, the government released a notification making hallmarking mandatory. At least 256 districts of the country shall have a minimum of one Assaying and hallmarking centre. The hallmarking is carried out for 14, 18, and 22-carat gold.
• If a jeweller wants to sell jewellery with a hallmarked logo, he has to get registered with the BIS. This process can be completed online. And the registration shall last for a lifetime.
• The BIS-registered jeweller submits jewellery for hallmarking at Assaying and Hallmarking Centre registered by the BIS. Here, the jewellery is tested, after which the hallmarking’s applied to the jewellery that fits the criterion.
• One must register online to get a BIS registration for Assaying and Hallmarking Centre. The recognition is granted based on the infrastructure, capability and competence of staff. The process also includes auditing centres, submission of reports and grant of recognition.
• The entire process of Assaying and Hallmarking centres has been made digital, i.e. online. Now the jeweller can make a request for hallmarking online. All the details regarding the inward receipt, weightage of the product, sampling, laser marking, Fire assay etc., can be recorded online and monitored on a real-time basis.
• If the product matches all the criteria, then six digit alphanumeric code is generated for each article and is imprinted on the gold by laser along with the purity mark and BIS logo.
• The Indian Standard for gold has three grades 14 carats, 18 carats and 22 carats. However, amendments are being made to incorporate 20carat, 23carat and 24-carat gold.
• For silver, there are six grades of silver alloys. These are 99,970,925,900,835,800.
• The charges for hall marking are Rs.35 per article of gold jewellery and Rs.25 per silver article. The charges shall remain fixed irrespective of the weight of the article.
• Once a jeweller is granted registration, the BIS officials visit the jeweller’s retail shops, draw random samples of Hallmarked articles, and send them to their labs at Chennai, Sahibabad and Kolkata to test their purity.
• If the officials find the sample not up to the standards, then appropriate action shall be taken against the jeweller and the A&H centre.
• BIS often conducts audits of A&H centres to make sure that specified standards are being maintained and the rules are being followed.

How to get your Jewellery hallmark Logo?

There are two ways with which a person gets their Jewellery hallmark Logo:

• Getting the Jewellery hallmark Logo from gold jewellery
• Getting jewellery tested from Assaying and Hallmarking Centre.

• Getting it hallmarked BIS registered jewellery:

The department of consumer affairs stated that a consumer could go to a BIS registered jeweller and get their jewellery hallmarked. A customer needs to go and deposit his article to the BIS registered jeweller, who shall later visit BIS Assaying and Hallmarking Centre to get their jewellery hallmarked.

• Getting jewellery tested from Assaying and Hallmarking Centre

The alternative option that the consumer has is to get the jewellery tested from Any BIS recognised Assaying and Hallmarking centre^[1]. Once the article is submitted, The Assaying and Hallmark centre will give a report after testing and provide information to the customer about the purity of the jewellery.

The guidelines state that the consumer can bring multiple unmarked articles for hallmarking. Up to 10 articles shall be considered as a mixed lot. The BIS officials will weigh and tag the articles with a serial number for identification.

Methods of purity check:

There are two methods to test the purity of gold at hallmarking centres; these are

a)XRF Method– The XRF method is the one in which the article is not destroyed. It is only used to analyse the content of the gold on the surface only. A certificate of purity cannot be issued in the XRF method.

b) Fire Assaying: The article is destroyed completely in this method. This method is the most popular and accurate method to find out the purity of gold throughout the world. A certificate of purity can be issued in this method.

How to check the Jewellery hallmark Logo?

The Jewellery hallmark Logo on a gold article comprises three symbols. So, the first symbol will be the BIS logo, the Second symbol specifies the article’s purity and fitness, and the third symbol is an alphanumeric code.

1. BIS Standard Mark:

BIS has a triangular-shaped logo, which shall be the first symbol on a piece of hallmarked jewellery. This signifies that the BIS has approved this gold.

1. Fitness and purity grade:

This symbol shows the purity of the metal, this is significant because the price of the jewellery shall be based on this. As many metals/alloys are often mixed with gold, it is essential to find out the purity and fitness of the gold. Currently, there are three types of purity grade; 22K916-this means that the gold is 22 carat, and the percentage of gold in it is 91.6. 18K750 –This means that the percentage of gold in it is 75. 14K585 means that it has 14-carat gold and 58.0 per cent of gold.

1. Six Digit Alphanumeric code:

The third symbol is an alphanumeric code of six digits. This code is unique to each jewellery article.

Conclusion:

The Bureau of Indian standards has made the process of obtaining a Jewellery Hallmark Logo very simple and non-cumbersome. One can get their jewellery hallmarked through a registered jeweller by BIS or by visiting a BIS assaying and hallmarking centre.

Read our Article:What is the BIS Registration Process for Textile Products Business