‘Make no exemptions in gold jewellery hallmarking’

Lalatendu Mishra

Exemptions in hallmarking of gold jewellery would lead to malpractices and the process should therefore be made mandatory for all gold items, said C. Vinod Hayagriv, past chairman of the All India Gem & Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC). “Hallmarking is a consumer protection initiative. Hence, if India is to be proud of its jewellery, every piece should be quality certified, including the ones made for exhibitions,” Mr. Hayagriv said. “The only exemption that could be considered is for a 2-gm item, where it will be difficult to put markings,” he added. Mr. Hayagriv said the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), rather than having just six purity levels — existing three and three more in the pipeline — should extend it from 10 karatage to 24 to accommodate all types of jewellery, including those of temples and royal family heritage gold.