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Soon you will be able to buy gold from any shop without being worried about its purity as the government has announced that mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts will be implemented from June 1, 2021. Gold hallmarking is a purity certification of the precious metal and is voluntary in nature at present. The Bureau of Indian Standards or BIS certifies the purity of gold to help consumers make the right choice.

The hallmark consists of a triangle, the caratage (22K915), the mark of the jeweller and certification of purity given by assaying and hallmarking centres (AHCs) which are accredited by BIS. Though the mandatory hallmarking is to protect you against lower quality but will it succeed in tackling the problem of fake hallmarking in the country?

Somasundaram P.R., managing director, India, World Gold Council, said “Considering we are large consumers of gold mandatory hallmarking of gold is a positive and welcome announcement. Today hallmarking is voluntary that is why fake hallmarking goes along, But once it becomes mandatory the entire industry will work towards weeding it out. BIS will have better enforcements once it becomes mandatory.”

The BIS is already running a hallmarking scheme for gold jewellery since April 2000, and around 40% of gold jewellery is being hallmarked currently.

The Centre, in November 2019, had announced that hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts would be made mandatory across the country from January 15, 2021. The government had given jewellers more than a year to shift to hallmarking and register themselves with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). But the deadline was extended for four months till June 1 after the jewellers sought more time to implement in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, from June 1, jewellers will be allowed to sell only 14, 18 and 22 carats of gold jewellery.

(PTI Inputs)