The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Chennai region, has increased drawing of market samples to check the conformity to mandatory hallmarking of gold ornaments and Hallmark Unique ID (HUID) in jewellery.
Hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts for 14, 18 and 22 carat jewellery was made mandatory since mid-June 2021 in 24 districts of the State and Puducherry during the first phase.
BIS officials said on an average, nearly 150 market samples are being lifted from registered jewellers in Chennai and its neighbouring districts and Puducherry every month and tested.
The samples are tested at the BIS lab in the city, and hallmarking and assaying centres are pulled up as well if violations are detected. Testing of samples has just started and results are awaited, an official said.
G. Bhavani, head, Chennai branch office I, BIS, said there was a steady increase in the number of registered assaying centres and jewellers over the past year. “The number of jewellers has increased threefold. Nearly 2,335 jewellers have registered with the BIS till now in five districts, including Chennai, Vellore and Kancheepuram, compared to 673 jewellers in April 2021,” she said.
The BIS is also periodically conducting surveillance audits in about 120 assaying centres across the State. Audits have been done in all the centres at least once in the past one year and various aspects, including whether they follow standards and have the required infrastructure, have been checked.
A team of officials found a hallmarking centre without a valid licence in Coimbatore engaged in gold hallmarking as per the old system and seized hallmarked items worth ₹11 lakh recently.
“We have instructed jewellers to declare their old stock of hallmarked gold ornaments. Every piece of gold jewellery must have a HUID, a six-digit unique code, at the time of hallmarking. The HUID also enables customers to verify the genuineness of the hallmarked item through the BIS Care mobile application,” Ms. Bhavani said.
The BIS also monitors the hallmarking process in the assaying centres through a software.
In a bid to impart knowledge on standards, the BIS has also started 30 standards clubs in educational institutions in Chennai region, including Puducherry and Tirupattur.
