When purchasing gold (whether jewellery or coins), it is critical to not only ensure that it is hallmarked, but also that the bill issued by the jeweller contains certain critical information. This is critical in order to avoid disputes at the time of sale.
According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) website, “authentic bills/invoices of the hallmarked article from retailer/jeweller are required.” It is required for any dispute/misuse/complaint resolution.”
So, what should a correct bill/invoice for a hallmarked jewellery purchase have?
Let us say you are buying a gold chain of 8 grams of 22 KT, then on the invoice, your jeweller will mention:
• Item name and description: Gold chain
• Quantity: 1
• Weight (gms): 8 gms
• Purity: 22KT
• Current gold rate and making charges
• Hallmarking charges: Rs 45 (hiked from Rs 35 earlier from March 4, 2022)
• Total amount payable by the buyer
If there are stones attached to the gold chain, then the jeweller is required to separately mention the price and weight of the stones in the invoice.
If a consumer has a doubt about the purity of the gold, then he/she can visit any BIS recognised assaying and hallmarking (A&H) centre. A customer will be required to pay Rs 200 as testing charges. The list of BIS Recognized Assaying and Hallmarking centres is available on the BIS website and can be accessed here:
https://www.manakonline.in/MANAK/AHCListForWebsite../
Further, hallmarking charges are not dependent on the weight of the gold jewellery. These are flat charges.
What are other things a buyer should look at?
From June 16, 2021, jewellers must only sell hallmarked gold jewellery and artefacts. According to the BIS website, “on the outside of the sales outlet, the registered jeweller shall display the BIS logo with the wording “Hallmarked jewellery available for sale.” The jeweller must display the BIS registration certificate in a jewellery shop. The jeweller must have a magnifying glass with a minimum magnification of 10X to show the customer the hallmark on the hallmarked jewellery. The jeweller must show the relationship of fineness to caratage.”
