BIS Hallmark is an Indian certification system that guarantees you about the quality of jewellery you are buying. It’s a certification that ensures the purity of the metal.
BIS Hallmark is an Indian certification system that guarantees you about the quality of jewellery you are buying. It’s a certification that ensures the purity of the metal. There are a certain set of standards that are laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards and only if your precious jewellery is BIS Hallmarked, it’s considered as pure. The BIS system of hallmarking of gold jewellery began on April 2000.
To understand more about BIS Hallmark, let us take a look at all of its components:
BIS Logo
This is the logo you should be looking for to cross-check for purity of the jewellery you’re buying.
BIS Number
If you’re looking for gold jewellery or gold coins, then you should pay attention to the following three-digit numbers to know the corresponding value of purity.
| 958 | Corresponding to 23 Carat |
| 916 | Corresponding to 22 Carat |
| 875 | Corresponding to 21 Carat |
| 750 | Corresponding to 18 Carat |
| 708 | Corresponding to 17 Carat |
| 585 | Corresponding to 14 Carat |
| 375 | Corresponding to 9 Carat |
To understand the numbers better, a BIS 958 mark would indicate a purity of 958 per 1000, i.e., 95.8% purity of gold.
Year of Making
This is denoted by alphabets. For eg, A is for year 2000, B is for year 2001, C is for year 2002 and so on.
Two other elements namely
A code denoting the year of hallmarking, and a logo of the jeweller.
BIS hallmarking is not only beneficial for the customers, it also holds a value to the jewellers. It provides a clear indication of their capability, commitment to quality, and assurance of consistency in purity and quality of gold they are making for their customers. BIS is a solid tool provided by the Government of India to both the customers and jewellers. So next time you buy any piece of gold, don’t forget to check for the BIS Hallmark.
