Bureau of Indian Standard [IS-15820]

BIS, certifies the purity of gold bought and the process is called hallmarking. According to the BIS , there are 2 principle objectives of the hallmarking scheme:-

• To protect the public against adulteration
• To obligate manufacturers to maintain legal standards of fineness/purity

Assaying and Hallmarking center –

The testing of the jewelry as well as the marking is done in approved Assaying & Hallmarking Centers across the nation. These are private undertakings approved as well as monitored by the BIS. Gold articles are evaluated and tested here and then certified that the metal used conforms to the national and international standard of fineness and purity.

Types of marks on gold jewelry :-

Under BIS Act, hallmarking agency certifies gold on the basis of Indian standards. Gold jewelry must be evaluated and tested at official hallmarking centers and then certified that the metal conforms to the national and international standard of fineness and purity.

Hallmark consists of five components i.e.

1.) BIS Standard Mark

This mark certifies that the product conforms to a set of standards laid by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

2.) Purity Grade

Gold purity grade shows how pure the gold is. It is indicated in two ways: Karat (denoted as KT) and fineness number.

3.) Assaying and Hallmarking Center's Mark

This mark is a code that is used to identify the assaying and hallmarking center that marked the jewellery as per the BIS guidelines. It is important to note that the jewellery is hallmarked by BIS-recognized centers and not by jewellers.

4.) Year of Marking

Alphabets represents the year of hallmarking of jewelry and is decided by BIS e.g. letter ‘A’ Donates Year 2000, ‘J’ for 2008, ‘N’ for 2010 ,‘M’ for 2011 and ‘N’ for 2012 etc.

5.) Jeweller's Identification Mark

Many jewellers, selling the product, keep their own identification mark of BIS Certified Jeweler/ Jewelry Manufacturer. It can also include the jeweller's logo.

Procedure for Setting Hallmarking and Assaying Center

As per Indian standard is 15820:2009 for setting up Hallmarking and assaying center, the company or individual has to undergo certain steps:-

Step 1- Documents Prepration

• The documents for filing the project to BIS need to be prepared.
• The required documents have been mentioned separately.

Step 2- PREPRATION OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE PREMISES

• The premises should be of at least 550 sq. ft. to 650 sq. ft.
• The premises should have a generator of 15 KVA power backup
• Air conditioned center with safety measurements like CCTV, LOCKERS, etc. must be there
• Reception, Quality manager office, XRF section, Laser section, Sampling section, Assaying lab should be set up separately.
• Micro balance platform should be vibration proof.

Step 3- SAMPLE TESTING AND STAFF TAINIG

• Involves sending samples of CRM for testing. The sample quantity required will be AV 2KG, AG 5G, CV 50G, PB 50G.
• Our executive will train the staff of the premises to co-ordinate with the BIS standards.

Step 4- BIS AUDIT

• Officers from BIS are appointed for auditing the premises and the labs of the centers.

Step 4- BIS AUDIT

• After a successful audit and scrutiny of the documents, the license for certifying the center is granted.