Around 3.7 crore jewellery hallmarked during April-July: Bureau of Indian Standards

As many as 3.7 crore jewellery articles were hallmarked during April-July period of this fiscal year, the government said on Wednesday.

Mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery came into force from June 16, last year.

"8.68 crore jewellery articles were hallmarked in the year 2021-2022 while 3.7 crore articles have been hallmarked from April 1, 2022 till July 31, 2022," the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) said in a statement. The bureau listed some important achievements since the release of mandatory hallmarking on June 16, 2021.

The registration of jewellers was made free and valid for lifetime. Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) based hallmarking portal was launched on July 1, 2021 wherein the entire workflow in the assaying and hallmarking centre is automated and made online. "The number of BIS registered jewellers has increased from 43,153 on July 1, 2021 to 1,43,497 on August 1, 2022. Number of recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centres have also increased from 948 on July 1, 2021 to 1,220 on July 31, 2022," BIS said.

The implementation of mandatory hallmarking was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, three grades of gold articles viz 14 carat (585 fineness), 18 carat (750 fineness) and 22 carat (916 fineness) were covered under mandatory hallmarking order.

In this phase, the order was implemented in 256 districts having at least one Assaying and Hallmarking Centre. BIS said that the second phase of mandatory hallmarking was implemented from June 1, 2022 vide hallmarking of gold jewellery and gold artefacts (Amendment) Order, 2022, dated April 4, 2022.

The second phase of the mandatory hallmarking covers three additional caratages of gold jewellery/artefacts viz. 20 carat (833 fineness), 23 (958 fineness) and 24 carat (995 fineness). It covers additional 32 districts under the mandatory hallmarking regime wherein an Assaying and Hallmarking Centre (AHC) has been set up post implementation of the first phase of the mandatory hallmarking order.

More districts are likely to be covered under mandatory hallmarking order in due course of time, the BIS said.