BIS Hallmarking and the 6-Digit HUID, Explained

Knowing today's gold rate only helps if the gold is what the shop says it is. That's what hallmarking is for — and since 2021 it's no longer optional. Here's how to read the marks on a piece, and how to check its purity yourself in about thirty seconds.

Why a hallmark matters

The rate you look up is a rate for a purity: 24K, 22K or 18K. Pay the 22K rate for something that turns out to be 18K and you've overpaid on every single gram — and you won't discover it until you try to sell. Purity is invisible to the eye, so a hallmark is the only practical proof a buyer has.

A BIS hallmark means the article was tested and marked at an Assaying & Hallmarking centre recognised by the Bureau of Indian Standards, the national standards body. It's not the jeweller's own word for it.

Mandatory since 2021

Mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery and gold artefacts came into force on 23 June 2021, initially across a set of designated districts, and has been extended in phases to more districts since. Before that, hallmarking existed but was voluntary — which is why older pieces in your family's collection may carry no mark at all, or an older style of mark.

The second date that matters is 31 March 2023. After it, the sale of hallmarked gold jewellery and artefacts without a 6-digit alphanumeric HUID was prohibited. So anything a jeweller hallmarks and sells you today should carry a HUID.

The three marks to look for

A current BIS hallmark consists of three marks — not four, not one. Ask to see them under the shop's magnifier:

If a piece shows a purity stamp but no BIS logo and no HUID, it hasn't been hallmarked — a "916" scratched on the clasp is a claim, not a hallmark.

What the HUID actually is

HUID stands for Hallmark Unique Identification. It's a six-digit alphanumeric code, laser-engraved on the article, and it's unique to that one piece — not to the design, not to the batch, not to the jeweller. Behind it sits a BIS record of what that article is.

That's the real shift. A purity stamp is just a number pressed into metal. A HUID is a number that points at a database entry you can look up — which makes it checkable by you, on the spot, without trusting anybody in the room.

How to verify it yourself

Download BIS CARE, the Bureau of Indian Standards' official app, and use the "Verify HUID" feature. Type in the six-digit code from the piece. It will show you:

• the jeweller who had the article hallmarked, and their registration number;
• the purity of the article;
• the type of article it was registered as;
• the Assaying & Hallmarking centre that tested and marked it.

Two things to actually check, rather than just admiring that the lookup worked. First, does the purity on screen match the purity you're being charged for? Second, does the article type match the thing in your hand — a HUID registered against a ring has no business being on a bangle. A mismatch, or a code that returns nothing at all, is your cue to walk.

If the purity turns out to be short

Hallmarking comes with a consumer remedy behind it. Under the BIS Rules, 2018, if hallmarked jewellery is found to be of lower purity than marked, the buyer is entitled to compensation of two times the amount of the difference — calculated on the shortfall in purity for the weight of the article sold — plus the testing charges. Keep your invoice: it's what ties that HUID to your purchase.

At the counter: a short checklist

• Look for all three marks, and get the HUID read out to you if you can't see it.
• Verify the HUID in BIS CARE before paying — and check the purity and article type match.
• Ask to see the piece weighed in front of you.
• Get an invoice itemising weight, purity, the rate applied, the making charge and GST separately.
• Know the published rate for that purity before you walk in, so the metal value isn't a mystery.

Related reading

• 22K vs 24K vs 18K Gold in India: Which Should You Buy?
• Today's Gold Rate in India: How It's Set
• Gold Making Charges in India, Explained