Gold hallmarking made mandatory for 9 carat jewellery

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) today (July 18) announced that it will also be mandatory to hallmark 9 carat gold. The changes are effective from July 2025. Earlier, categories of 14KT, 18KT, 20KT, 22KT, 23KT, and 24KT gold were in mandatory hallmarking.

Hallmarking is governed by the BIS Act, 2016, and it certifies the proportionate content of precious metal in jewellery and artefacts so that consumers can know of the purity before they buy an item.

Jewellers and hallmarking centres are required to comply with this addition of 9 carat gold to the mandatory hallmarking list under the BIS regulations, the All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council said in a post on X.

“Nine carat Gold (375 ppt) is now officially under mandatory hallmarking as per BIS Amendment No. 2 All jewellers and hallmarking centres must comply,” the council stated.

More consumers are also turning to 9K-carat gold as higher grades have become very expensive. It is also easier to design for jewellery items.

What is gold hallmarking?

It is an official certification about the purity of gold items. It is governed by the BIS Act, 2016. These gold items include a unique six-digit alphanumeric code - Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number for better traceability and consumer protection. 

Over 40 crore gold jewellery items have been hallmarked with a unique HUID, ensuring greater trust and transparency for the consumers in the market.

The Bureau of Indian Standards began the fourth phase of mandatory hallmarking under the Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts Amendment Order, 2024 from November 5, 2024.

Additionally, during the fourth phase, 18 additional districts where hallmarking centres have been set up under Mandatory Hallmarking. Following the implementation of the fourth stage, the total number of districts covered under Mandatory Hallmarking now stands at 361.

BIS earlier implemented the first phase of mandatory hallmarking, which was launched on June 23, 2021. This phase covered 256 districts whereas the second phase commenced from April 4, 2022, where 32 districts were further added.

This was followed by the third phase, which was implemented from 6th September, 2023 and covered 55 newly added districts.