How India's Gold Hallmarking Scheme Began: The BIS–World Gold Council Partnership

India's gold hallmarking system did not emerge overnight. It was the result of a carefully planned collaboration between the World Gold Council (WGC), the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), and the Indian jewellery trade spanning nearly a decade.

The World Gold Council's Initiative

In the early 1990s, the World Gold Council identified India as a priority market for establishing a formal gold quality assurance framework. India was already one of the world's largest gold consumers — purchasing hundreds of tonnes annually — yet consumers had no reliable, standardised way to verify the purity of the gold they bought.

In 1993, the WGC approached the Bureau of Indian Standards with a proposal to develop a hallmarking system for India. BIS, established under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 as India's national standards body, was the natural institutional partner for such an initiative.

Feasibility and Standard Development

Between 1993 and 1999, the WGC and BIS undertook extensive groundwork. In 1996, the WGC commissioned a feasibility study examining the unique characteristics of the Indian gold market — particularly the emphasis on high-karat gold jewellery (predominantly 22K), the practice of buying gold by weight rather than by design, and the vast, fragmented network of jewellers across the country.

This research informed the development of IS 1417:1999, the third revision of the Indian Standard for gold and gold alloy jewellery. The standard specified six karat grades — 23K, 22K, 21K, 20K, 18K, and 14K — that would be eligible for hallmarking, along with the testing methods and marking requirements.

Launch of Voluntary Hallmarking

In April 2000, BIS formally launched India's voluntary gold hallmarking scheme. The system allowed jewellers to voluntarily submit their gold articles to BIS-licensed Assaying and Hallmarking Centres (AHCs) for purity testing and hallmarking.

The initial hallmark consisted of four components: the BIS standard mark (a triangular logo), the purity/fineness grade, the hallmarking centre's identification number, and the jeweller's identification mark. A year-of-marking code letter was also included until it was discontinued in 2017.

Early Challenges

Uptake was slow in the first few years. Many jewellers were unfamiliar with the concept, and consumer awareness was minimal. The hallmarking infrastructure itself was limited — fewer than a hundred centres existed in the entire country during the early years.

However, the foundation had been laid. The WGC continued to support the initiative through awareness campaigns, technical assistance, and industry engagement. BIS expanded the AHC network through licensing, subsidies, and training programmes.

A 20-Year Foundation

The voluntary hallmarking phase, which ran from 2000 to 2021, allowed the hallmarking infrastructure to mature gradually. By the time mandatory hallmarking was implemented in June 2021, the groundwork of two decades ensured the system could handle the scale — a testament to the foresight of the original BIS–WGC partnership.