The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has announced that from April 1, the sale of the gold jewellery will not be allowed without Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) Number. According to an official statement, it has been decided that after March 31, 2023, the sale of the gold jewellery and gold artefacts without HUID shall not be permitted. The officer said that earlier 4-digits HUID numbers were there in the market for but now the 6-digit HUID numbers will be operated. And after March 31 only 6-digit HUID number will be allowed. They said that the new rule will be in public interest and will benefit people. It is been said that gold jewellery without the six-digit number HUID will be banned after March 31.The decision was taken after a review meeting of BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) held on March 3, 2023, which was headed by Union cabinet minister Piyush Goyal. The official statement by Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public distribution, said “Starting from April 1, 2023, the sale of only gold jewellery with HUID shall be permitted.”What is HUID numberHallmark Unique Identification Number (HUID) is a six-digit alphanumeric code. A unique number is been assigned to every piece of jewellery at the time of hallmarking, with a unique identification number. The jewellery is stamped with the unique number at the Assaying and Hallmarking centre. With the help of HUID number, it is easy to trace the individual piece of jewellery and know its quality also.According to the official website, “In HUID-based Hallmarking, registration of jewellers is automatic with no human interference. It is aimed at ensuring the purity of Hallmarked jewellery and check any malpractice. HUID is a secure system and poses no risk to data privacy or security. HUID-based Hallmarking is a win-win for everyone. It brings about transparency, ensures consumers rights and obviates the chances of Inspector Raj.”Why Hallmark is importantThe government says “Hallmark is a mark on gold jewellery which is affixed by an entity recognised by BIS to assure its fineness and purity. So, make sure to check the Hallmark to avoid being cheated, whenever you buy any gold jewellery.How to check the Hallmark on jewelleryThe BIS Hallmark consists of three symbols, the BIS logo, the symbol to indicate the purity, and the fitness of the jewellery, then the HUID number. The gold in itself is the purest form of the yellow metal, it is so soft that the shape of the jewellery can be given only after mixing it with other metal for the durability. The purer the jewellery the more gold it will have, and the more expensive it will be.Categories of HallmarkAccording to the government department, the hallmark jewellery can be divided in to three categories:22K916 indicates that 22 carat gold and the piece of jewellery has 91.6 percent gold.18K750 indicates that 18 carat gold and the piece of jewellery has 75 percent gold.14K585 indicates that the piece of jewellery is of 14 carat gold and has 58.5 percent gold.How to check the purity of gold jewelleryThe purity of the gold jewellery can be checked by sending the piece to any BIS Hallmark centre. However, the consumer cannot apply for the Assaying of the gold jewellery. It has to be done through a BIS registered jeweller only.Benefits of HallmarkingThe main benefit of the hallmarking of the jewellery is that the customer will not get cheated on the quality of the product. But there are other benefits too. The hallmark will assure the quality of the product and the customer will get the higher price at the time of selling it back.
