Is Hallmarking of Gold Mandatory
Gold Hallmarking is a purity certification of the precious metal and is voluntary in nature at present. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is already running a hallmarking scheme for gold jewellery since April 2000 and around 40 per cent of gold jewellery is being hallmarked currently.
Government is taking all necessary action for making of Hallmarking of Gold mandatory including stakeholders consultation, notifying Draft Quality Control Order on World Trade Organization (WTO) Website on 10th October 2019; scheduling notification in respect of Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Artefacts on 15th January 2020 making Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Artefacts mandatory in the country w.e.f. 15th January 2021; ensuring adequate Assaying and Hallmarking (A&H) capacity. As on 31st October 2019, 877 A&H Centres throughout India have been recognized by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
This information was given in a written reply by the Minister of State for Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Danve Raosaheb Dadarao in Rajya Sabha today.
Source: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79, making it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal in a pure form. Chemically, gold is a transition metal and a group 11 element.
