Also, check out Hallmark Jewelry

There is no doubt that since the introduction of Hallmark currency for gold purity, there has been freedom in the purchase of jewelery, but only recently the phenomenon of adulteration in Hallmark jewelery in Kolkata has come to light.

A few days before Dhanteras, the Bureau of Indian Standards collected some jewelery to check the purity of the hallmarked jewelery in some jewelery shops in South and North Kolkata. Not only sound education but his alertness and dedication too are most required. This has raised questions about Hallmark's credibility.

The phenomenon of adulteration in Hallmark Jewelry is not unique to Kolkata. Experts say that after the rise in gold and silver prices, incidents of adulteration in Hallmark jewelery across the country are coming to light. Gold traders are adding up to 5 per cent of iridium and ruthenium to offset the losses caused by rising prices.

It is worth mentioning that silver or copper is used to harden gold, but these alloys are very common. Apart from that, cobalt, palladium and tin are also mixed.

The hallmark is a symbol of purity and reliability. Because of the hallmarks, buying gold or silver jewelry does not require the knowledge and understanding of this metal. Prior to this, there was a difference in the purity and reliability of gold in different shops in different cities. Even then, for the safety of gold and silver buyers, the Bureau of Indian Standards (Bureau of Indian Standards) introduced a hallmark symbolizing the purity and reliability of gold. It has been claimed that it is safer to buy hallmarked jewelery for weight and purity.

Dilip Kumar Chaudhary, regional deputy director general of the Bureau of Indian Standards, says samples are periodically collected from jewelery shops in different areas to check whether the hallmarked jewelery contains gold as claimed, which is quite common. The samples that were collected showed less gold than was claimed. This is a matter of concern for the Bureau of Indian Standards as well as for buyers.

Here the question arises what is the process of obtaining a hallmark? How is it possible to mix hallmarked jewelery? In his answers to these questions, Dilip Kumar Chaudhary said that nowadays buyers insist on buying only hallmark jewelery. The owner of a jewelery shop who wants a hallmark in jewelery, sends it to a BIS certified evaluation center. Here the hallmark is given on the jewelery by checking the quantity of gold on the basis of carat of gold. The jewelry seller also has to pay a separate fee for the cost of this inspection.

Naturally, buyers have to pay a bit more for hallmarks, while the Bureau of Indian Standards explicitly denies that buyers have to pay more for hallmark jewelery.

The Bureau of Indian Standards says this is a misconception. Hallmarking means buying jewelry at the right price in the right proportions. If one buys 5 carat gold, he pays for the price of 51.5% gold at that date according to the price of gold. In addition, the customer pays a making charge of 2 to 3%. If jewelry is bought without a hallmark, it is possible that you are buying less gold by paying a higher price.

While advising the gold saving committee also says that if a jewelery shop sells jewelery at a lower than average price in the market, caution should be exercised. After all, no merchant pays out of his own pocket. Of course, the charms have to be matched. The significance of the hallmark is no longer hidden from anyone, but the case of the etymology of this word is very interesting. It first started in London. In 191, a convention was organized by gold and silver traders at Goldsmith Hall in London. At the same convention, a symbol was agreed upon in keeping with the standard of pure gold and silver jewelery. The symbol is named after Goldsmith Hall. This hallway ensured the safety of buyers of gold and silver jewelery.

Dilip Kumar Chaudhary says that after the introduction of Hallmark in 2000, there were about 15 assessment centers till 2009, but now there are 181 assessment centers in the whole country. There are 10 in Kolkata. All assessment centers are accredited by the Bureau of Indian Standards, but are also private centers. Officials say some profiteers are colluding with a private investigation center to make more money.

It is pertinent to mention that if a person violates sub-sections 11, 12, 13, 14 under section 6 (1) of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act 19 after the scandal is proved, he will be liable to imprisonment for up to 1 year or a fine of Rs 50,000 or both. .

According to Pradeep Ghosh, a member of Swarna Shilpa Bachao Samiti, there are about 15,000 jewelery shops in West Bengal. Since the year 2000, the trend of buying and selling Hallmark jewelery has started across the country keeping in view the safety of the consumers. Before this there was no system of hallmarking, be it gold or silver. Jewelry was bought and sold without it, but the sale and purchase of Hallmark Jewelry is not officially compulsory, and many shops still sell and buy Hallmark Jewelry today. According to the Bengal Gold Sculpture Preservation Committee, about 20 jewelery shops in the state are trading with hallmark certificates. Vendors have to pay a fee of Rs 5,000 for a hallmark certificate for 3 years.

Assay of pure gold

The question arises as to how the buyer identifies the facts given in the hallmark. About it, a jeweler states that Hallmark Jewelry symbolizes the organization and manufacturer of weights. The year of manufacture is also recorded by a code. For example, the letter 'N' is written in the English alphabet for 2021. Jewelry refers to the carat for the proportion of gold. Pure gold is 4 carats. Jewelry usually requires 4 carat gold. 6 carats contains 312 mg or 21.5% gold. See list for more information:

Carat % Hallmark step of purity

3 100 -

3 3.3 3

3 21.5 313

21 3.30 3

13 8.00 20

13 3.3 3

06 3.30 3