Consumers can have unmarked jewelry tested at centers recognized by BIS, Retail News, ET Retail

Consumers can now have their unmarked gold jewelry tested for purity at testing facilities recognized by the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS). “The charge for testing gold jewelry up to 4 items is Rs 200. For 5 or more items, the charge is Rs 45 per item,” an official statement said on Friday.

The Department of Consumer Affairs said mandatory hallmarking has been successfully implemented in which 3 lakh gold items are hallmarked with HUID (Hallmark Unique Identification) every day.

BIS has “now made arrangements to allow a common consumer to have their unhallmarked gold jewelery tested for purity at one of BIS’s recognized Assay and Hallmark Centers (AHCs).”

The AHC should undertake the testing of ordinary consumer gold jewelry as a priority and provide a test report to the consumer, he added.

“The test report given to the consumer will assure the consumer of the purity of their jewelry and will also be useful if the consumer wishes to sell the jewelry entrusted to them,” he said.

The authenticity and purity of gold jewelry hallmarked with the HUID number, purchased by the consumer, can also be verified by using “verify HUID” in the BIS CARE app which can be downloaded from the Play Store.