Check hallmark identity, then buy jewellery
FROM July 1, complete prohibition on the sale of hallmarked jewellery without the six-digit alphanumeric Hallmarking Unique Identity (HUID) will kick in, which will herald a new phase in the country’s two-decade-long journey towards eliminating fraudulent practices in the sale of gold jewellery.
Even though hallmarking, introduced on a voluntary basis in 2000, became mandatory in 256 districts (later extended to 288 districts) on June 16, 2021, malpractices in the industry continue to haunt gold purchasers. Special enforcement drives on assaying and hallmarking centres as well as jewellers by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the licensing and enforcing authority for hallmarking, have exposed a variety of illegal practices. Such violations include certifying the purity of gold by hallmarking centres without testing the gold, fake stamping by jewellers without sending the gold for hallmarking and unauthorised stamping by assaying centres, whose recognition has been cancelled.
Usually, an independent third party authentication means that the consumer can trust the quality of the product at face value and purchase it without worrying about its quality or purity. However, unscrupulous jewellers and assaying centres have eroded consumer trust in the hallmark. With the HUID, which is unique to each piece of jewellery and is generated by the BIS server only after the jewellery has undergone all stages of testing, the BIS hopes to improve the integrity of the hallmarking process, ensure traceability, prevent unauthorised and fake hallmarking and instil consumer confidence in its stamp of purity.
By urging consumers to download the BIS Care application and check the authenticity of the hallmarking stamp before purchase, the BIS is co-opting them in its fight against fake stamping. Every complaint, following a check on the authenticity of the HUID, will help the BIS in clamping down on spurious marking. The fear of being exposed through the BIS Care app will force jewellers to desist from unethical practices.
As a consumer, you should refuse to buy jewellery that does not carry the six-digit HUID. Demand that the HUID be shown under a magnifying glass, so as to verify its authenticity on the BIS Care app and check the purity of gold, the name of the assaying centre and the jeweller captured in the HUID. Remember, hallmarking is applicable on jewellery of six varying caratages — in 14, 18, 20, 22, 23 and 24 carats. It is important to ensure that you are getting the jewellery of the purity you asked for.
It is essential to ensure that the receipt mentions the HUID number, laser marked on the jewellery, thereby clearly linking the purchase to the jewellery. If your verification of the HUID number on the BIS Care app shows the six-digit number marked on the jewellery to be fake, do not purchase it and complain without fail to the BIS. You can do so on the same BIS Care app.
Genuine hallmark means that the purity of the jewellery is authenticated through the most reliable method of testing-fire assay — and the gold is also free of prohibited elements such as iridium, cadmium and osmium. Meanwhile, the BIS has stepped up its market surveillance of jewellers. This year, it has tested 30,000 samples; 7 per cent failed conformity tests, but BIS says the shortness in purity was marginal. Failure of samples could lead to warnings, suspension or cancellation of recognition of the assaying centre, depending on the percentage of shortness in purity.
Consumers can also get their hallmarked jewellery independently tested at any of the assaying centres, for a nominal fee of Rs 45 per article. If there is any shortage in purity, the consumer should file a complaint with the BIS (you can do so on their BIS Care app). In addition to taking action against the jeweller, the BIS asks the jeweller to pay as compensation twice the amount of loss suffered as a result of the discrepancy in purity and the testing charge. Of course, the consumer can also file a complaint in the consumer court.
The assaying centres have been mandated by the BIS to test any jewellery brought on a priority basis, in just one day. You can get the list of assaying centres and their locations on the BIS website bis.gov.in. At the assaying centre, the gold is first analysed through an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF) to check for the presence of any prohibited metal and then fire-assayed. Fire assay involves taking out 300 to 500 mg of gold from the jewellery either through scrapping, drilling or cutting. After the assay, the gold cornet is returned to the consumer. The XRF will also show the purity of gold but BIS cautions that it only gives surface purity and even here, the purity may vary by plus or minus 5 parts per thousand.
Unique identification is certainly an important step in enhancing the credibility of hallmarking, but side by side, BIS needs to step up its monitoring and ensure stringent punishment to offenders in order to eliminate abuses and augment the reliability of its mark.
— The writer is a consumer rights expert
