As the wedding season nears, everyone including farmers or businessmen are visiting jewelry shops. The best thing is that gold jewelry can now be purchased online too. However, how will you know if the gold you bought is pure or not?
For this, a government agency known as the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certifies the purity of the gold you purchased. The hallmarking technique is used to confirm the purity of gold.
The following four elements should be present on hallmarked gold jewelry, per the BIS website, in order to verify the purity of gold:
4 Ways to check the purity of Gold (सोने की शुद्धता चेक करने के 4 तरीके)?
-
BIS Mark
-
Purity in fineness and karat;
-
The identification mark or number of the Assaying and Hallmarking Centre;
-
Mark or number used to identify the jeweler
BIS Mark:
Any gold jewelry with the BIS hallmark will display the BIS logo, indicating that its purity has been confirmed in one of its authorized laboratories. The BIS website states that it is the only organization in India that the government has authorized to hallmark gold items of any kind to ensure their purity.
Purity in Karat and fineness:
The two terms used to describe the purity of gold are karat (KT) and fineness number. The purest kind of gold according to Karat purity measurements is 24KT. However, 24KT gold is thought to be too soft to be made into any jewelry or decoration. Gold is therefore combined with other metals like zinc and silver to create jewelry.
Another metric for determining the purity of gold is the fineness number. The purity is expressed in parts per thousand. According to the World Gold Council website, 24KT should be 1.0, or 24/24, however, gold may only be refined to a purity level of 999.9 parts per thousand due to possible minor impurities.
As of January 1, 2017, the BIS website states that only three categories of purity, or Karats, are used for hallmarking gold. These are listed below:
22k916 means 22 karat
18k750 means 18 karat
14k85 means 14 karat
The identification mark or number of the Assaying and Hallmarking Centre:
Additionally, the jewelry must bear the emblem of the laboratory that determines the purity of your gold jewelry. Only authorized BIS laboratories are permitted to examine the purity of gold. On their website, one may determine whether the hallmarking center has a BIS license or not.
Mark or number used to identify the jeweler
Additionally, the jewelry store where you purchase your gold jewelry will brand it with its identification. This logo can belong to a jeweler or jewelry maker who has acquired BIS certification.
A list of jewelers who have received BIS certification is available on the BIS website. You can access the list here. The list includes the names of gold and silver jewelers who have received certification and authorization from BIS. This information includes the jewelers’ names, residences, and the expiration date of their BIS license.
How to check the purity of jewelry hallmarked?
There is an additional component that is hallmarked on the gold if you purchased it on or before December 31, 2016, whichever comes first. Prior to the rules' revision, which took effect on January 1st of 2017, the BIS hallmarking scheme had five parts.
The fifth part apart from the 4 listed above was a code letter designating the year that the BIS chooses to hallmark jewelry. For instance, "A" was used for the year 2000, and "J" for the year 2008.
Things to remember when checking the purity of gold:
There is an additional component that is hallmarked on the gold if you purchased it on or before December 31, 2016, whichever comes first. Prior to the rules' revision, which took effect on January 1st of 2017, the BIS hallmarking scheme had five parts.
The fifth part apart from the 4 listed above was a code letter designating the year that the BIS chooses to hallmark jewellery. For instance, "A" was used for the year 2000 and "J" for the year 2008.
