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Ever since the Bureau of Indian Standards debunked, through its survey, the purity claims of gold jewellers, consumers have been demanding that hallmarking be made mandatory. It is now five years since the government first introduced in April 2000 on a voluntary basis, the scheme of hallmarking or third party authentication of the purity of gold. So far, out of an estimated 100,000 manufacturing units in the country, only 950 jewellers have become BIS licencees. While the annual demand of gold in the country is more than 500 tonnes, only 60 lakh pieces of gold jewellery have been hallmarked in the past five years. It is only in the last one year that the number has doubled from 30 to 60 lakh pieces. Hallmarking is an authentic method used worldwide for testing and certifying the quality of gold. Under the scheme, the BIS first examines the quality management system followed by the jeweller and issues a licence or a certificate. Only such BIS certified jewellers could get their jewellery tested and hallmarked at any of the recognised assaying and hallmarking centres. In 2002, the BIS conducted, with the help of consumer groups, a sample survey of gold jewellers in the country. It purchased gold jewellery claimed to be of 22-carat purity from 15 outlets of different sizes in eight cities and got them tested. The results showed that 88 per cent of the jewellery was not of the purity claimed by the jeweller. The purity of some of them was as low as 14 carat and 17 carat. On the consumer demand for compulsory hallmarking, an expert committee constituted by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said the government had to first set up the necessary infrastructure. The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs has proposed a subsidy scheme, aimed at funding partly the cost of equipment required to set up such a centre. Till that happens, consumer demand for hallmarked jewellery can force the jewellers to go in for hallmarking. However, some jewellers have been found to pass off non-hallmarked pieces as hallmarked. So consumers should choose the jeweller with care and always collect the cash receipt with all the relevant details filled in. Look up the BIS site (www.bis.org.in) for the names of licencees in your city or town and buy from then. Even here, check the authenticity of the hallmarking by closely examining the marks on the jewellery with a magnifying glass. Hallmarked jewellery
should carry the BIS mark, the fineness number (representing the purity
of gold), hallmarking centre’s mark, jeweller’s mark and the year of
marking. |
