Sale of hallmarked gold jewellery or gold artefacts without 6-digit alphanumeric Hallmark Unique Identification Number (HUID) will be prohibited after March 31 2023, according to an official statement released by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. The ministry added that the step has been taken to protect consumers and enhance their confidence in the purchase of hallmarked gold jewellery with traceability and assurance of quality.
The old hallmarked jewellery with four marks without HUID was also permitted to be sold along with the 6-digit HUID mark until now. More than 21 months were given to jewellers to clear their stock of such articles before the government decided to implement a ban from April 1 onwards. The decision was taken after a review meeting of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) held on March 3 chaired by the union cabinet minister Piyush Goyal.
What is 6-digit HUID? Will the old hallmarked jewellery remain valid? How to authenticate hallmarked gold jewellery items?
Here's all you need to know.
What is HUID and how does it benefit the consumer?
Hallmarking scheme for gold jewellery was started by the BIS in 2000. At present more than 3 lakh gold articles are hallmarked with the HUID every day.
The 6-digit HUID or Hallmark Unique Identification was introduced from July 1, 2021. Given to each piece of jewellery at the time of hallmarking, the HUID is a unique alphanumeric code consisting of numbers and letters. It is stamped on the jewellery manually at the Assaying & Hallmarking centre.
After the introduction of HUID, the hallmark consisted of three marks namely, BIS logo, purity of the article and six-digit alphanumeric HUID. Each hallmarked article has a unique HUID number which is traceable.
Before the implementation of 6 digit Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) number, the logo of the jeweller was also one of the marks.
Before buying any piece of gold jewellery, the consumer should see these 3 symbols.
According to the department of consumer affairs, HUID is critical to the credibility of Hallmarking and addressing complaints regarding the purity of hallmarked jewellery. In HUID-based hallmarking, registration of jewellers is automatic with no human interference. It keeps a check on any malpractice and acts as a secure system, posing no risk to data privacy or security. Not only does it brings about transparency, but also ensures consumers’ rights.
How to authenticate hallmarked gold jewellery items?
Consumers can check and authenticate hallmarked gold jewellery items with HUID numbers using ‘verify HUID’ in BIS CARE app. Available on both android as well as iOS, BIS CARE app provides information about the jeweller who got the article hallmarked, their registration number, the purity of the article, and type of article along with details of the hallmarking centre which tested and hallmarked the article. A consumer can use this information to verify the article being purchased by matching it with the article type as well as its purity. The app also provides an option to register complaints regarding the misuse of hallmark and the quality of product.
The app requires the consumer to register from their mobile number.
Will the old hallmarked jewellery with four marks remain valid?
The statement released by the government further clarifies that the hallmarked jewellery lying with consumers as per old schemes shall remain valid. As per section 49 of BIS Rules, 2018 in case Hallmarked Jewellery bought by the consumer is found to be of lesser purity than that marked on the jewellery, then the buyer/customer shall be entitled for compensation which shall be two times the amount of difference calculated on the basis of shortage of purity for the weight of such article sold and the testing charges.