The Consumer Affairs Ministry has announced that all gold jewellery and artefacts for sale must have Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) from March 31, 2023. This decision was made to avoid confusion between four-digit and six-digit hallmarking.
In India, hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts is mandatory. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is responsible for the hallmarking process and sets the standards for the quality of gold.
The current hallmarking standards in India require gold to be marked with a BIS logo, a purity grade in karat and fineness (for example, 22K916), and a jeweller’s identification mark. The purity grade indicates the percentage of gold in the jewellery, with 24 karat gold being 100% pure.
Starting from April 1, 2023, the new rule will be applicable, meaning that only six-digit alphanumeric hallmarking will be valid for gold and gold jewellery sales. Without this, sales will not be allowed.
This is a significant move made by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to protect consumers’ interests. Additionally, four-digit hallmarking will be discontinued. The government has been working to make hallmarking of gold mandatory for the past year and a half.
HUID number is a six-digit alphanumeric code consisting of numbers and letters, assigned by jewellers for the identification of jewellery. It provides essential information about the purity, weight, and purchaser of the jewellery. Jewellers must upload this information on the BIS portal. Each piece of jewellery will receive a unique HUID number during hallmarking.
In summary, from April 1, 2023, all gold jewellery and artefacts must have a unique HUID number assigned by jewellers to be sold. This step was taken by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to ensure transparency and protect consumers from fraud and misrepresentation of the quality of gold jewellery and artefacts.
Are you planning to buy gold? Look for the HUID code to check its authenticity. HUID is a six-digit alphanumeric code which is unique for every piece of gold jewellery. To know more, visit https://t.co/hgoH0ruCRK@jagograhakjago @PiyushGoyal @AshwiniKChoubey #Hallmark #Gold pic.twitter.com/7kdi8siVIa
— Bureau of Indian Standards (@IndianStandards) February 26, 2023
Let’s stand for the Standards!@jagograhakjago @PiyushGoyal@PIB_India @PIBConsumerFood@mygovindia #BIS #Standards #Quality #safety #complaints pic.twitter.com/SMmofAUsht
— Bureau of Indian Standards (@IndianStandards) February 25, 2023
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