New Delhi: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has prohibited sale of hallmarked gold jewellery or gold artefacts without the six-digit alphanumeric hallmark unique identification number (HUID) after March 31, 2023.

The move announced on Saturday by the government, is aimed at protecting consumers and enhancing their confidence in purchase of hallmarked gold jewellery. Official sources said that it would ensure traceability and assure quality in gold jewellery.

What is HUIDHallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number is a six-digit alphanumeric code consisting of numbers and letters. It is worth mentioning that BIS has successfully implemented Mandatory Hallmarking in 256 districts of the country with effect from June 23, 2021, wherein more than 3 lakh gold articles are being hallmarked with HUID every day.

From April 1, only those gold jewellery and artifacts with a six-digit alphanumeric number as a hallmark can be sold, Nidhi Khare, additional secretary, of consumer affairs said on gold hallmarking late on Friday.

Nidhi Khare also said the hallmarked gold jewellery items were being sold across the country, even in those districts where it is not mandatory yet because of consumers' demand for a quality product.

BIS Care App: How to check purity

Consumers can check and authenticate hallmarked gold jewellery items with HUID number using the "verify HUID" in 'BID CARE' app.

The app provides information of the jeweller who got the article hallmarked, their registration number, purity of the article, type of article as well as details of hallmarking centre which test and hallmarked the article.

Using this information a common consumer can verify the article being purchased by matching it with article type as well as it's purity.

Move to avoid confusion

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) had made a provision to allow a common consumer to get the purity of their un hallmarked gold jewellery tested at any of the BIS recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centres (AHC). HUID is stamped at the BIS-certified Assaying and Hallmarking Centre.

The AHC undertakes the testing of gold jewellery from common consumers on priority and provide a test report to the consumer. The test report issued to the consumer will assure the consumer about the purity of their jewellery and will also be useful if the consumer wishes to sell the jewellery lying with him.

Government at the same time has however notified that hallmarked jewellery lying with consumers as per old schemes will remain valid.

As per section 49 of BIS Rules, 2018, in case hallmarked jewellery bought by the consumer is found to be of lesser purity than that marked on the jewellery, then the buyer or customer must be entitled for compensation which will be two times the amount of difference calculated on the basis of shortage of purity for the weight of such article sold and the testing charges.

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