JOIN USGold hallmarking to be mandatory from June 15
From June 15, jewellers across the country will be able to sell only hallmarked gold ornaments in three variants – 14, 18, and 22 carats.
The government on Monday announced that the hallmarking of gold jewelry is set to begin from June 15.
In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the government has accepted the request of stakeholders to give jewellers some more time to get prepared for implementation and resolve issues.
A committee with Pramod Tewari Director General, Bureau of Indian Standards, Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, and representatives of jewelers associations, trade, hallmarking bodies will resolve the issues in the implementation of the policy.
The mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellry was earlier scheduled to kick in from January 1, which was pushed further to June 1.
“Customers must get hallmark certified gold at the earliest across the country without any further delay,” Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said.
A group of jewellers had moved a court seeking more time to clear the stocks of 24-carat gold jewellery, which they claimed had remained unsold due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
As per the hallmarking guidelines, all jewellers across the country will have to register with the BIS before being eligible to start selling hallmarked goods. According to World Gold Council, India has around four lakh jewellers, out of this only 35,879 have been certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards.
Also, instead of the 10 grades earlier, gold would now be available only in three varieties – 22 karat, 18 karat and 14 carat – which would be marked on the jewellery or the artefact.
Consumers will have to lookout for four marks on the hallmarked gold jewellery – the BIS Mark, purity in karat and logos of the assaying and hallmarking centre and the jeweller.
If doubts still persist, the consumer can take the jewellery to any assaying and hallmarking centre to check for purity for a nominal fee of Rs 150 per piece.