Nagpur: In a bid to safeguard the interest of consumers, the sale of hallmarked gold jewellery and gold artefacts with only a six-digit alphanumeric HUID (Hallmark Unique Identification) — unique identification number — will be permitted from April 1, 2023. This means the sale of old hallmarked gold jewellery with four logos without HUID number will not be allowed after March 31, by the Bureau of India Standards (BIS).
HUID number is a six-digit alphanumeric code consisting of numbers and letters. Every item of jewellery will get a HUID at the moment of hallmarking, and each one is different.
All gold jewellery and artefacts will need to mandatorily carry a 6-digit alphanumeric HUID from April 1. This number will help consumers trace the gold jewellery back to its jeweller and also help check its purity, said Hemant Ade, Scientist-E/ Director and Head of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Nagpur Branch office while speaking at a press conference on Friday.
Ade further said that till date, the old hallmarked jewellery with four marks without HUID was also permitted to be sold by the jewellers along with the 6 digit HUID mark. More than a year and 9 months were given to jewellers to clear their stock of 4 digit hallmarked articles. However, the simultaneous sale of two types of hallmarked jewellery by the jewellers was creating confusion in the mind of the consumer.
At present there are 8 Assaying and hallmarking centres in Nagpur. Also, there are more than 3,000 registered jewellers in Vidarbha and out of which 778 jewellers of Nagpur are registered with BIS Nagpur Branch office. Government of India, Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution vide its order dated January 15, 2020 made hallmarking mandatory for gold and gold alloys jewellery and artefacts with effect from January 15, 2021.
However various exemptions were given like articles meant for export, articles weighing less than 2 gm, incomplete articles which are yet to be processed for completion etc. “After extending the date of implementation of this order twice, the mandatory hallmarking was made effective from June 16, 2021,” he pointed out.
Subsequently, the order was amended on June 23, 2021 and some more relaxations were provided like jewellers with annual turnover of less than Rs 40 lakh were exempted. “Now, the Govt of India has made it mandatory that any Hallmarked jewellery which is to be sold by registered jewellers is to be sold with HUID. i.e. 3 mark scheme and old 4 hallmarked scheme is to be discontinued,” Ade said.
The Government has given another three months time till June 30, to jewellers to sell the declared old hallmarked gold jewellery stock that existed prior to July 2021. BIS has already waived off the registration fee for jewellers and currently registration of jewellers is free and is instantly issued through online system without requirement of submission of any hard copy. The list of registered jewellers, and Hallmarking Centres may be accessed at BIS website on www.bis.gov.in under hallmarking section.
Districts under Nagpur Branch with mandatory Hallmarking are Akola, Amravati, Nanded, Nagpur, Jalgaon, Wardha, Jabalpur and Balaghat.
