Over 40 crore gold jewellery items now hallmarked with Unique IDs | How to check purity, date

More than 40 crore pieces of gold jewellery have now been hallmarked with a unique identification number, the ministry of consumer affairs, food & public distribution said on Thursday.

The milestone was achieved after the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) launched the fourth phase of mandatory hallmarking on November 5, 2024, under the Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts Amendment Order, 2024.

The fourth phase of mandatory hallmarking expands coverage to an additional 18 districts where hallmarking centres are now operational, raising the total number of districts covered to 361.

The first phase, launched in June 2021, covered 256 districts, followed by the addition of 32 more in April 2022, and another 55 in September 2023.

“Since the launch of Mandatory Hallmarking, the number of registered jewellers has increased from 34,647 to 1,94,039—a remarkable increase of more than five times,” the release said.

The network of Assaying and Hallmarking Centers (AHCs) has also expanded from 945 to 1,622 centres nationwide.

BIS CARE mobile app

To empower buyers, BIS has introduced the BIS CARE mobile app, where consumers can check the authenticity of hallmarked gold items by entering the HUID number. The app provides details such as the jeweller’s registration, Assaying and Hallmarking Centre information, type of article (ring, necklace, etc.), date of hallmarking, and the purity of the metal. Shoppers can also use the app to file complaints related to product quality or the misuse of BIS quality marks. The app is available for download on the Google Play Store.