Buying gold jewellery: Take a purity check for just Rs 45; also use this BIS app

Kolkata: Gold buyers have a lot in stake now. They always had but with the skyrocketing prices, the stakes are rising higher than ever. There are also reports of counterfeit gold being sold to unsuspecting customers. So buyers need to check the purity of gold. The BIS Hallmark is a symbol of assurance. It also has a Care app, which allows one to verify the purity of gold.

Buying gold is a tradition in India. The demand of gold rises in October to December, which coincides with the festive and wedding season. Over the past two years, gold prices have been on fire due to a variety of factors from central banks aggressively buying gold to US Fed outlook on interest rates, from heightened investment demand to air of uncertainty due to tariff wars and shooting wars. Whatever the reason, the need to check the purity of gold is rising. Let's explore waht's the way.

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As many as 361 districts of India was covered by the mandatory hallmarking of gold by November 14, 2024. Hallmarking has been made mandatory after the government was inundated with complaints of counterfeit gold and poor carat quality of the metal being sold across the country. Hallmarks convey the guarantee of the purity of the metals. Incidentally, silver is also subjected to hallmarking besides gold in India.

Consumers can get their jewellery tested at any BIS-accredited Hallmarking Center in the country. Every centre is equipped to issue a report that guarantees the quality of the gold in the jewellery. Consumers are free to bring samples of the gold they have brought and these jewelleries can be both hallmarked and non-hallmarked for testing.

The hallmarking centre charges only Rs 45 for each test. However, the rules state that the minimum fee for a single lot is Rs 200. As the rule goes, if the purity levels of a hallmarked piece of jewellery is found to be less than the stated quality at the time of sale, the consumer is entitled to compensation. This compensation is punitive -- it will be two times the amount calculated based on the deficiency in purity for the weight of the jewelry. The fee spent by the consumer for testing also has to be added to the compensation.

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BIS mobile app, known as the BIS Care app, can also be used to verify the purity of gold. BIS issues a Hallmark Unique Identification -- a six-digit number -- to each piece of hallmarked jewelry. This number is embossed on the jewelry piece in question. This number can be typed in the BIS Care app. Ideally one should do this before purchasing the jewellery at any outlet.