BIS Hallmarking
The hallmark stamped into your gold is the one claim about it you do not have to take on trust. This page explains what the marks mean and how to check yours.
What hallmarking means
A hallmark is an official mark applied to a precious metal article to certify its purity. In India the scheme is run by the Bureau of Indian Standards, and the marks are applied at a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre after the metal has been tested — not by the jeweller selling it.
Hallmarking of gold jewellery became mandatory in notified districts of India from June 2021. Since July 2021 the hallmark has consisted of three marks rather than the four used previously, with the jeweller's mark and the assaying centre mark replaced by a single unique identification number.
Every gold piece Divija sells is BIS hallmarked, and each one carries its own HUID. That applies right across our range — rings, earrings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets and bangles alike. There is no category of gold jewellery we leave unmarked.
- 3 marksOn hallmarked gold since 2021
- 6-digit HUIDUnique to your individual piece
Gold purity, explained
The three-digit number in a hallmark is the fineness — parts of pure gold per thousand. Karat is the same information in a different unit.
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999
24 Karat
99.9% pure gold. Too soft to hold a stone or survive daily wear, so it is used for coins and bullion rather than jewellery.
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916
22 Karat
91.6% pure. The traditional choice for Indian gold jewellery — rich in colour, and strong enough for plain and lightly set pieces.
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750
18 Karat
75% pure. Harder than 22K, which is why it is the usual choice for gemstone settings and diamond work.
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585
14 Karat
58.5% pure. The most durable of the four, and the most forgiving for pieces worn every day.
Higher purity is not the same as better. A 22K setting will bend where an 18K one holds, which is why fine gemstone jewellery is usually made in 18K or 14K.
How to verify a hallmark
The whole point of the HUID is that you do not need us in order to check.
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Find the marks
Look inside the ring shank, on the clasp or on the reverse. They are deliberately small — use a loupe or a phone camera at full zoom.
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Read the HUID
Six alphanumeric characters. It is unique to your piece, so no two pieces share one.
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Check it with BIS
Enter the HUID in the official BIS CARE app, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards, to see the record held for that piece.
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Compare it to your invoice
The purity shown should match what you were sold and what your invoice says. Tell us straight away if it does not.
Where hallmarking sits in the process
Hallmarking happens after a piece is finished and before it is packed. The piece goes to a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre, the metal is tested there, and the marks are applied by the centre.
When it comes back we check the struck purity against the specification the piece was made to, record the HUID against the order, and print it on your invoice — so the number on the metal, the number in our records and the number on your paperwork are the same three times over.
Hallmarking, answered
Which Divija jewellery is hallmarked?
All of it, across every category we make in gold — rings, earrings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets and bangles. Each piece carries a BIS hallmark with its own HUID, and that number is printed on your invoice so you can check it yourself.
What is the difference between a HUID, a BIS hallmark and a diamond or gemstone certificate?
A BIS hallmark is the official mark applied to precious metal by a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre. It certifies the purity of the metal, and nothing else.
The HUID is one part of that hallmark — a Hallmarking Unique Identification code, unique to your individual piece, which is what makes the hallmark checkable against the BIS record.
A diamond certificate is a grading report from an independent gemmological laboratory describing one diamond: its weight, colour, clarity, cut and whether it is natural or laboratory-grown.
A gemstone certificate does the same for a coloured stone, identifying the species and variety and recording any treatment detected.
The first two describe the metal. The last two describe the stones. A piece can carry all of them, and none of them stands in for another.
Is all gold jewellery in India required to be hallmarked?
Mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery applies in the districts notified by the Bureau of Indian Standards, and the list of notified districts has been extended in phases since June 2021. Some categories and weights are exempt. The scheme's scope changes over time, so BIS itself is the authority on what applies today.
Why can I only find three marks when older jewellery has four?
Because the scheme changed. Hallmarks applied before July 2021 carried four marks, including the jeweller's identification mark and the assaying centre's mark. Those two were replaced by the single six-digit HUID. Older four-mark jewellery is still validly hallmarked.
Does hallmarking damage the piece?
No. The marks are struck or laser-applied in a discreet place — inside a shank, on a clasp, on the reverse — chosen so they are not visible when the piece is worn and so they do not weaken it.
My silver piece has no hallmark. Is something wrong?
Silver is not something we sell, but no: hallmarking of silver is voluntary in India, so most silver jewellery is sold unmarked. Divija works in gold, and every gold piece we sell is BIS hallmarked with its own HUID.
What if the HUID does not come up when I check it?
Contact us with your order number and a photograph of the marks before doing anything else. Search results can fail for ordinary reasons — a misread character is the most common — and we will confirm the record with the hallmarking centre.
This page explains the BIS hallmarking scheme in general terms and is not legal advice. Rules, notified districts and exemptions are set by the Bureau of Indian Standards and change from time to time — always treat BIS as the current authority.
Gold you can check for yourself
Every gold piece we sell carries a BIS hallmark and a HUID printed on your invoice.