Starting today, the Bureau of India Standards (BIS) has restricted the sale of hallmarked gold jewellery or artefacts that lack a 6-digit alphanumeric Hallmark Unique Identification Number (HUID).In the past, jewellers were permitted to offer for sale both the 6-digit HUID mark and traditional hallmarked jewellery that featured four marks but lacked the HUID. Hallmarking refers to the process of accurately identifying and officially recording the metal composition of jewellery, artefacts, bullion or coins. A quality control order was issued by the Indian government on June 23, 2021, making the hallmarking of gold jewellery/artefacts mandatory.
The charges for testing gold jewellery are Rs 200 for up to four articles and Rs 45 per article for five or more articles. The HUID is a unique, trackable identification number assigned to each hallmarked item. Consumers can verify the authenticity of hallmarked gold jewellery items with HUID numbers by using the "verify HUID" feature in the BIS CARE app, available on both Android and iOS.
If a consumer discovers that the hallmarked jewellery purchased is of lesser purity than that marked on the jewellery, they are entitled to compensation under section 49 of the BIS Rules, 2018. The compensation is equal to two times the difference between the actual and indicated purity of the item sold, calculated based on the shortage of purity for the weight of the article sold and the testing fees.
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