BIS HALLMARKING

BIS HALLMARKING: Indians has been fascinated with gold from ancient times and Gold is also a popular investment option for Indian residents to keep them safe during tough times. Thus, in order to protect consumers from adulteration and to obligate jewellers to maintain a legal standard of purity, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) launched a Jewellers Registation scheme. BIS launched the gold hallmarking scheme in 2000 and a silver hallmarking scheme in 2005. According to this scheme, the BIS hallmark license is mandatory to manufacture or sell gold or silver jewellery. The number of registered jewellers has increased by about 18 percent on average over the last three years, while the number of registered Assaying & Hallmarking (A&H) Centers has increased by about 25 percent per year.

"Celebrate excellence with Hallmark Registration, a symbol of distinction;
Crafted with precision, each mark a validation of perfection;
Establish trust in your precious creations, a testament to their worth;
Embrace the legacy of craftsmanship, let the Hallmark shine, illuminating your brand's rebirth."

Without adequate examination, it is impossible to identify the purity of gold simply by feeling or looking at it. Two BIS Hallmark gold ornaments with the same pattern and style may differ substantially due to differences in gold purity. BIS Hallmark Registration can reduce these concerns by providing all of the necessary information and confirming the purity of the gold.

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 BIS hallmarking scheme for gold and silver is accessible, and BIS hallmarking in India is required to confirm the metal's purity before introducing the Gold & Silver products to consumers.

Earlier, the BIS Hallmark for gold objects were made up of five elements, components, or marks (that's also known as old method of Hallmarking). The presence of hallmarking stamps on your gold indicates that it meets the 'Bureau of Indian Standards' purity specifications.

These are the marks of Hallmarking:

Old Methods of HallMarking of Gold

1. BIS Standard Mark: The BIS Standard Mark or BIS Logo is a triangle mark that shows that a third party or independent assessor has properly evaluated the decoration and validated the metal's purity. In most cases, it is validated by one of the BIS-approved laboratories (Hallmarking centre). BIS is the only government-approved institution for hallmarking gold ornaments (Jewellery Hallmarking).
2. Purity Grade: Karats (denoted as KT) and Fineness Number are two ways to determine the purity of gold. The purest type of gold is 24 KT, but it is too soft to be utilized in jewellery or ornamentation. As a result, a trace amount of other metals, such as zinc or silver, is added to gold to create long-lasting jewellery or adornment. The carat value of gold jewellery is typically measured in three numbers and varies from 22k to 14k. A 22k gold ring, for example, has a purity grade of 916 HallMark. A 916 Hallmark logo on any gold ornament denotes that the jewellery is made up of 91.6 percent of pure gold elements combined with 8.4 percent of other elements. Similarly, 18k and 14k gold jewellery have purity grades of 750 and 585, respectively.
3. Hallmarking Centre's Mark: This is the BIS-licensed trademark (Hallmarking License) of the marking centre or third-party evaluator. The label is stamped on every product in the centre and is inspected for purity of gold and silver. This is done so that the object may be tracked back to the centre if any inconsistencies arise afterwards.
4. Year of Marking: This represents the year the object was labeled or Hallmarked. The marking year is identified by a letter of code assigned by BIS. For example, the code letter "A" stood for 2000, "B" for 2001, and so on.
5. Jeweller Mark: This is the jeweller's or manufacturer's mark on the piece. Each BIS- accredited jeweller's decorations bear a distinct jeweller BIS hallmark logo. All of these markings are readily visible on the jewellery. To confirm the purity of a piece of jewellery, look for these indications.

New Methods of HallMarking

Recently BIS has Introduced a new system for marking Jewellery. The new method contains HallMarking Unique Identification Number with BIS Hallmark and purity of the metal.

The government of India announced in November 2019 that hallmarking of gold jewellery and artifacts would be mandatory across the country beginning January 15, 2021. However, owing to the epidemic, the deadline was pushed back four months, from June 1 to June 15. Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal made this decision during a meeting with industry stakeholders. Hallmarking is an official mark that is recognized internationally on precious metal items.

After fulfilling the terms and conditions of the certificate of registration as specified in regulation 5 of the Bureau of Indian Standards (Hallmarking) Regulations, 2018, precious metal articles of gold marked with hallmark shall be sold only by registered jewellers through certified sales outlets. The BIS hallmarking centres list and BIS hallmark jewellers list can be found on the Bureau of Indian Standard's official website. The list of licensed jewellers can be accessed by selecting the region/state & IS Number.

Hallmarking is an official mark that is recognized internationally on precious metal items. Hallmarking Licence (certificate of registration) is required in India for certified jewellers to sell or produce hallmark gold and silver jewellery or artefacts. The BIS approved jewellery mark is required from any of the Assay and Hallmarking centre recognised with the Bureau of Indian Standard.

The process of BIS Hallmarking involves three major sections Homogeneity Test, Purity Test & product marking. In homogeneity test all the items in the sample having similar traits are tested to confirm that the sample complies necessary BIS standards.

A jeweller who wishes to sell BIS Hallmarked gold jewellery or artefacts must first get hallmarking registration from BIS for each of their sales outlets. The Registration is granted to the jeweller for the specified location if the application in the prescribed format along with relevant paperwork documents is deemed to be in order, and the required cost is paid and as well as the signing of the agreement for the operation of licence by the jeweller. If the jeweller additionally wishes to sell Hallmarked silver jewellery/artefacts, a separate registration from BIS must be obtained by filing a second application.

Following the grant of a licence, the jeweller must adhere to the agreement's terms and conditions. The hallmark licence may be revoked if there are deviations in the purity of precious metals (gold/silver) or if activities are not carried out in accordance with stipulated specifications. BIS has the authority to launch penalty proceedings. BIS visits the sales outlet periodically and randomly selects a sample of Hallmarked goods currently on sale to be tested against the appropriate Indian Standard at its own referral assay labs. If a sample fails, the jeweller and the assaying and hallmarking centre are both will be accountable.

BIS hallmark registration processes are as follows:

Following are the Documents required for hallmark license for jeweller:

1. Premises Document (Sell Deed/Rent Agreement)
2. Showroom Establishment Certificate (Business Licence)
3. GST Certificate
4. Turnover proof
5. Owners Identity proof (Aadhar Card)
6. Logo of the showroom
7. Letter Head (for Registered Email ID and Contact No.)
8. Location of Showroom on Map
9. 2-3 photos of showroom (inside & outside)

If a store owner or jeweller wants to sell ready-made hallmarked jewellery, the purity and quality of the gold should be checked at a hallmark centre. A hallmarking centre is the marking centers or third-party evaluator's BIS Hallmark licensed trademark. Every product in the centre 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 centre. Jewellery/artefacts are hallmarked in BIS-certified hallmarking centre that serve as testing laboratories. These hallmarking facilities, centres, and labs are positioned within city limits or in busy commercial or business buildings close to the jewellery-hubs and markets for assaying and hallmarking of gold and /or silver jewellery / artefacts. 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 jewellery or a product.

The following are the steps involved in assaying and hallmarking of gold and /or silver jewellery / artefacts.

1. Reception section: The first step starts from reception. Here Jewelry are received from different parties, and here jewellers are sorted as per the purity claimed by the party, and after acceptance, jewellery is sent for assaying.
2. X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) section: after receiving the jewellery sample, the fineness (purity as declared by the customer) of the samples are verified by the XRF machine by comparing with the reference material.
3. Melting section: The accepted samples are drilled in the defined quantity as per BIS guidelines, and these drilled/cut piece of sample is then homogenised in melting furnace in graphite crucibles.
4. Sample preparation: The sample is weighed i..e. silver and copper is mixed with the homogenised sample and put in 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.
5. 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 cupels, 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 base metals like lead, copper, etc., present in the sample from noble metals like gold and silver through the process of cupellation and Parting.
6. Cupellation: in this process, samples are kept in cupels for cupellation inside the muffle furnace for 25 min at 1100 oC. During the process, lead is oxidized into lead oxide& emitted in the form of fumes, whereas other impurities along with lead are absorbed in cupels.
7. Parting: Once cupellation is completed, a gold and silver alloy in the form of bead is obtained. Separating silver from gold by selectively dissolving silver-gold alloy in Nitric acid is known as parting.

The following are the process of BIS hallmarking centre registration certification.

1. Premises Documents Registry or Rent Deed
2. Director/Partner ID Proof
3. GST copy
4. MSME Copy
5. Electricity Bill
6. Logo of the Hallmarking Centre
7. NOC from Pollution Department
8. MOA/Partnership Deed
9. Details of 8 Employees with Qualifications Certificate and I'd Proof
10. BIS hallmark centre application form in prescribed format

The hallmarking registration fees to the BIS, as specified in the Hallmarking Regulations, 2018, must be paid by the centre by the 10th of the following month, failing which necessary action will be taken in accordance with the Hallmarking Regulations, 2018. Contact us at +91 9990136656 to know more about the BIS Hallmark Registration fees in India.
The Aleph INDIA Group has established itself as one of the most trusted names in the business world. Our customers can choose from a variety of BIS Hallmarking Consultancy (Gold Hallmarking and silver hallmarking Consultancy) Services. The BIS Hallmark consultants services provided are conducted in accordance with industry standards. Furthermore, these experts' services are praised for their inexpensive costs and prompt implementation. Aleph INDIA is a one-stop solution for compliance services such as BIS Hallmark Registration (Hallmarking BIS Registration) under the CRS program, NABL accreditation, BEE approval, WPC approval, ISI certification, and TEC approval. We offer a single point of contact for all types of certifications and testing equipment, allowing you to enhance your management system and, as a result, your quality. The services we provide are designed with a client-centric approach in mind, ensuring that our customers are completely satisfied. For More Info Visit BIS Hallmark