Introduction about BIS Hallmark:

A Hallmark is an official mark or sequence of marks stamped on metal products, usually to confirm the number of noble metals like platinum, gold, silver, and palladium in some countries. The term hallmark can also be used to refer to any distinguishing feature in a broader meaning. Basically, BIS Hallmark is the hallmarking system for gold as well as silver Jewellery sold in India certifying the purity of the metal. It is confirming that the piece of Jewellery conforms to a set of standards laid by the Bureau of Indian Standards, the national standards organization of India. India is the second biggest market for gold and it’s Jewellery. 

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In other words, the process of certifying the purity of gold is called hallmarking.

According to the BIS, there are two principal objectives of the hallmarking scheme:

• To protect the public against adulteration.
• To obligate manufacturers to maintain legal standards of fineness/purity.

There are four components that one should look for on the hallmarked gold Jewellery to ensure the purity of gold:

• BIS Mark.
• Purity in Karat and fineness.
• Assaying and Hallmarking Centre’s identification mark/number.
• Jeweller’s Identification mark/number.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is the designated authority to implement hallmarking of gold jewelry and this move is expected to bring transparency in the jewelry trade and increase trust among consumers. The government has made hallmarking of gold jewelry mandatory in India from June 16, 2021. The BIS Hallmarking scheme has been aligned with the International criteria for hallmarking. In this scheme, Registration is granted to the jewelry by BIS under Hallmarking scheme. BIS-certified jewelers can get their jewelry hallmarked from any of the BIS recognized Assaying and Hallmarking Centres. The recognition of an Assaying and Hallmarking Centre is done against IS 15820:2009.

Below is a detailed description of the components:

• BIS Mark:

Gold jewelry hallmarked by BIS will have the BIS logo indicating that its purity is verified in one of its licensed laboratories. According to the BIS, it is the only agency approved by the government for hallmarking gold articles of any kind to ensure their purity.

• Purity in Karat and fineness

The purity of gold is indicated in two ways: Karat (denoted as KT) and fineness number. When the purity of gold is measured in Karat, 24KT is considered too soft to be converted into any jewelry or ornament. Other metals such as silver and zinc are added to gold to convert it into jewelry.

The fineness number is another way of measuring the purity of gold. It is measured in purity in parts per thousand. According to BIS, Hallmarking of gold is done only for three levels of purity, i.e. Karat. These are as follows:

The fineness number and BIS hallmark on the piece of jewelry indicate that BIS has certified it to be of the fineness level/purity that is embossed on it as part of the hallmark.

• Assaying and Hallmarking centre’s mark/number

The laboratory where your gold jewellery is assessed to check its purity is also required to put its logo on the jewelry. Only licensed laboratories of BIS can check the purity of gold. One can check if the hallmarking centre is licensed by BIS or not on their website.

Jeweller’s identification mark

The jewellery shop from where you are buying your gold jewellery will also put its identification mark. This mark can be of BIS Certified jeweller of jewelry manufacturer.

Types of BIS Hallmark Certificate:

• BIS Registration for Hallmarking Showroom/Jewellers.
• BIS Recognition of Assaying & Hallmarking Centre.

BIS Registration for Hallmarking Showroom/Jewellers:

A jeweller who wishes to sell Hallmarked gold jewelry or artefacts must first get registration from BIS for each of their sales outlets. The registration is granted to the jeweler for the specified location if the application in the prescribed format along with relevant paperwork documents is deemed to be in order is the required cost is paid and as well as the signing of the agreement for the operation of the license by the jeweler.

Procedure for BIS Registration for Hallmarking Showroom:

• Step 1: Documentation prior to submission of application.
• Step 2: Online portal generation on the BIS website.
• Step 3: Submission of application online through the BIS portal.
• Step 4: Scrutiny of application file by BIS officials.
• Step 5: Grant of BIS Certificate.

Documents requirement for BIS Registration for Hallmarking Showroom:

• GST Certificate.
• Turnover Proof.
• Premises document (Sell Deed/Rent Agreement).
• Showroom establishment certificate.
• Logo of the showroom.
• Owners' Identity proof (Aadhar Card).
• Letterhead (for registered email id & contact no.).
• Location of the showroom on Map.
• 2-3 photos of the showroom (inside & outside).

BIS Registration for Assaying & Hallmarking Centre:

If a store owner wants to sell ready-made jewelry, the purity and quality of the gold should be checked at a hallmark center. This is the marking center’s or third-party evaluator’s BIS Hallmark licensed trademark. Every product in the center has a label that is stamped and examined for purity. This is done so that if any contradictions develop later, the object may be tracked back to the center. Jewellery/artifacts are hallmarked in BIS-certified facilities/centers that serve as testing laboratories. These hallmarking facilities, centers, and labs are positioned within city limits or in busy commercial or business buildings close to the jewelry hubs and markets for manufacturing. The term “assaying” refers to the quantitative chemical analysis of precious metals. Assaying refers to the process of determining the amount of gold in a piece of jewelry or a product. The following are the steps involved:

• Reception section: The first step starts with reception. Her jewelry is received from different parties and here jewelers are sorted as per the purity claimed by the party, and after acceptance, jewelry is sent for assaying.
• X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) section: after receiving the jewelry sample, the fineness (purity as declared by the customer) of the samples is verified by the XRF machine by comparing them with the reference material.
• Melting section: The accepted samples are drilled in the defined quantity as per BIS guidelines and this drilled/cut piece of sample is then homogenized in a melting furnace in graphite crucibles.
• Sample preparation: The sample is weighed i.e. silver and copper is mixed with the homogenized sample and put lead foil, which is then assayed. Out of several techniques available for assaying precious metals, fire assaying is one of the oldest and most reliable methods for the quantitative analysis of gold and silver.
• Assaying Section (Fire Assay Test): As per the standard IS 15820:2009, Assay and Hallmarking of gold are done by the fire assay test as per the method IS 1418:2009 (Assaying of gold in gold Bullion, Gold alloys, and gold jewelry/Artefacts). In this test, magnesia or calcium phosphate couples, parting acids (Nitric acids of specific gravity 1.2 & 1.3 g/cm 3), lead foil, precious metals (silver), and other metals like copper are used. The fire assay method is based on the principle of removal of all the base metals like copper, lead, etc., present in the sample from noble metals like gold and silver through the process of cupellation and parting.
• Cupellation: In this process, samples are kept in couples for cupellation inside the muffle furnace for 25 min at 1100 co. During this process, lead is oxidized into lead oxide & emitted in the form of fumes, whereas other impurities along with lead are absorbed in couples. Once Cupellation is completed, gold & silver alloy in the form of a bead is obtained. Separating silver from gold by selectively dissolving silver-gold alloy in Nitric acid is known as parting.
• Parting: One cupellation is completed, and a gold and silver alloy in the form of a bead is obtained. Separating silver from gold by selectively dissolving silver-gold alloy in nitric acid is known as parting.

Procedure for BIS Recognition of Assaying and BIS Hallmarking Centre:

• Documentation prior to submission of application.
• Online portal generation on the BIS website.
• Infrastructure Development.
• CRM Sample testing in BIS Laboratory.
• Calibration of equipment with NABL Lab.
• Test In-house samples and participate in ILC with other Hallmarking centers.
• Development of files & formats.
• Staff Training &laboratory installation.
• Submission of application along with test report (Online).
• Submission of a hard copy of the complete application to the BIS office.
• Scrutiny of application file by the BIS officials – Pre-audit.
• On-site inspection by BIS officials.
• Scrutiny of application file by BIS officials – Post audit.
• Grant of BIS License.

Documents Required for BIS Recognition of Assaying and BIS Hallmarking Centre:

• Premises documents registry or rent dead.
• Director/Partner ID Proof.
• GST Copy.
• Electricity Bill.
• MSME Copy.
• MOA/Partnership deed.
• Logo of Hallmarking Centre.
• NOC from Pollution department.
• Details of 8 employees with Qualification certificate and I’d Proof.