Govt mulls bullion hallmarking, plans framework for lab-grown diamonds; here's what we know

India is considering extending hallmarking norms to silver bullion to ensure jewellery makers receive authenticated raw material, a senior government official said on Thursday.

After introducing voluntary hallmarking for silver jewellery and artefacts from September 1, 2025, the government is now evaluating industry response before deciding on mandatory rules, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare told a CII conference.

“We are trying to see what is the result, what is the reaction of people, what is the response,” Khare said. “To us it is very important that we actually make sure that consumers in our country who equally wear silver jewellery are also covered under the credibility and trustworthiness of the products they are buying.”

Hallmarking has been compulsory for gold jewellery since June 2021.

Gold hallmarking was voluntary for two decades before the government made it mandatory, Khare said, adding that industry acceptance grew as large businesses recognised it improved consumer trust.

India has 1,603 Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)-recognised assaying and hallmarking centres and 109 offsite units, all privately run.

More than 2 lakh jewellers and 65 refiners are registered with BIS. Around 8.44 crore gold jewellery articles have been hallmarked so far this financial year, taking the total to about 57.17 crore since mandatory rules began.

"This has created trust in consumers' minds, especially those who buy gold for investment. The proliferation of Assaying Hallmarking Centres has made it easy for consumers to test jewellery. There is transparency for consumers to verify, and people are encouraged to approach courts or consumer commissions if articles are sold with wrong purity claims," Khare said.

Khare said these trends have encouraged the government to examine hallmarking for bullion.

The government is also working on a framework to help consumers distinguish natural diamonds from lab-grown stones, which have become more commercially viable due to technological advances.

“Lab-grown diamonds are very cheap and we don’t want consumers to be cheated,” Khare said. “We are working with the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council and other organizations to bring transparency without burdening the industry.”

She has urged jewellers to declare upfront when selling lab-grown stones.

“Those who want to buy lab-grown diamonds should be absolutely clear about what they are buying and that it is not artificial. How it is sourced, ethical considerations, and sustainability issues are important," Khare said.