BIS BIS Scheme of Scheme of

HallmarkingHallmarkingA K Purohit

Bureau of Indian StandardsBhubaneswar

Gold in pure formGold in pure form

Properties of Gold Properties of Gold • Gold resists attacks by individual

acids, but it can be dissolved by the aqua regia (nitro-hydrochloric acid), so named because it dissolves gold

• Gold also dissolves in alkaline solutions of cyanide, which have been used in mining

Gold AlloyGold Alloy• Gold Jewellary – An Alloy of Gold and

other base metal

• Gold will form alloys with most metals, but for jewelry, the most common alloying metals are silver, copper, and zinc

Gold AlloyGold AlloyColor of Gold Alloy CompositionYellow Gold (22K) Gold 91.67%

Silver 5%Copper 2%Zinc 1.33%

Red Gold (18K) Gold 75%Copper 25%

Rose Gold (18K) Gold 75%Copper 22.25%Silver 2.75%

Pink Gold (18K) Gold 75%Copper 20%Silver 5%

White Gold (18K) Gold 75%Platinum or Palladium 25%

Gold AlloyGold AlloyColor of Gold Alloy CompositionWhite Gold (18K) Gold 75%

Palladium 10%Nickel 10%Zinc 5%

Gray-White Gold (18K) Gold 75%Iron 17%Copper 8%

Soft Green Gold (18K) Gold 75%Silver 25%

Green Gold (18K) Gold 75%Silver 20%Copper 5%

Purple Gold Gold 80%Aluminum 20%

Color TriangleColor Triangle

Use of GoldUse of Gold• Monetary exchange• Investment• Jewelry• Medicine• Food and drinks• Industry• Electronics

What is Hallmarking ?What is Hallmarking ?• Hallmarking is the accurate

determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in gold

• Hallmarks are official marks used in many countries as a guarantee of purity

Hallmark vs Trade MarkHallmark vs Trade Mark• Hallmarks are an official mark of

guaranteed metal content

• Trademarks are the mark of a manufacturer to distinguish his products from other manufacturers’ products.

History of HallmarkHistory of Hallmark

• The use of hallmarks, at first, on silver has a long history dating back to the fourth century AD and represents the oldest known form of consumer protection

• Hallmarking in Britain dates from 1300; no gold or silver could be sold until tested for purity and struck with the king's mark.

• A "hallmark" was a mark made at Goldsmith's Hall, London

Contd….Contd….• The Hallmarking Act 1973 made Britain a

member of the Vienna Convention as well as introducing marking for platinum, a recognized metal under the Convention

• The Hallmarking Act of 1973 makes up the bulk of modern law regarding the assaying and hallmarking of metals in the United Kingdom

• The Act made business transactions involving unmarked metals illegal

All India Market Survey All India Market Survey 2001 on Gold2001 on Gold

• Sample failing – 88%• Average shortage in purity – 11%• Highest Shortage in Purity – 38%

Indian Standards on Gold JewlleryIndian Standards on Gold Jewllerya) IS 1417 - Grades of gold and gold alloys,

Jewellery/Artefacts-Fineness and Marking

b) IS 1418 - Assaying of Gold in Gold Bullion, Gold alloys and Gold Jewellery/ Artefacts - Cupellation (Fire Assay Method)

c) IS 2790 - Guidelines for manufacture of 23,22,21,18,14 and 9 carat gold alloys

d) IS 3095 - Gold Solders for use in manufacture of Jewellery

e) IS 15820 – General requirements competence of assaying and Hallmarking Centre

IS 1417:1999 & IS IS 1417:1999 & IS 2112:2003 Requirements2112:2003 Requirements

• Gold jewellery/artefacts may be covered under Hallmarking except as given below :

– Any gold article/ornament which fails to comply with specified fineness/caratage.

– Any gold article/ornament which is not solid or which is made with a hollow center and then filled with base metal, cement, lac or other foreign substance thereby giving the article a false or added weight or strength unless the weight of gold is indicated on the article along with the jeweller’s/ sponsorer’s logo.

– Gold article/ornament on which it is physically impossible to stamp the mark.

IS 1417:1999 Gold and Gold alloys, IS 1417:1999 Gold and Gold alloys, jewellery/ artefacts – Fineness and jewellery/ artefacts – Fineness and

Marking (Third Revision)Marking (Third Revision)• First published in 1959First published in 1959• Revised in 1971 & 1981Revised in 1971 & 1981• Third revision is in force nowThird revision is in force now• Amendment No. 1 issued in Dec 2004 Amendment No. 1 issued in Dec 2004 • Amendment No. 2 issued in Dec 2007Amendment No. 2 issued in Dec 2007• . 3Amendment No . 3Amendment No issued issued in June 2010in June 2010• Amendment No. 4 finalized for printingAmendment No. 4 finalized for printing• Amendment No. 5 Issued in Oct 2014Amendment No. 5 Issued in Oct 2014

Note : - Standard is under revisionNote : - Standard is under revision

SCOPESCOPE

This standard specifies nine grades of gold, used in the manufacture of jewellery/artefacts of gold, based on their gold content.

This standard also specifies the guidelines for marking of purity and other details on tested jewellery/artefacts.

GRADES GRADES Gold and gold alloys shall be classified in accordance with the following grades depending upon their fineness.

Grade Fineness Carat /9202ISO Min / Grade Fineness

Fine gold 999 - -Standard gold 995 - -958.3 958 23 -916.6 916 22 916875 875 21 -750 750 18 750708 708 17 -585 585 14 585 375 375 9 375

RequirementsRequirements a) Soldersa) Solders

Solders used for manufacture of gold jewellery/artefacts shall conform to the requirements as specified in IS 3095.

bb) Sampling) Sampling

Sampling of the Jewellery/ Artefacts shall be as given in 5.3 of this standard.

c) Assayingc) Assaying

The samples taken from jewellery/artefacts shall be assayed in accordance with IS 1418.

d) Toleranced) Tolerance

No negative tolerance shall be allowed on the gold content of gold article/jewellery.

MARKINGMARKING

The “Hallmarked” articles shall carry the following markings :

a) BIS Markb) Purity grade/finenessc) Assay centre’s identification markd) Year of marking denoted by a letter ( as defined

by )BIS

e) Jeweller’s mark/manufacturer’s identification mark

Only linear design is permitted Marking shall be legible and durable Marking to be done on all detachable parts

Marking shall not be done Marking shall not be done • which has not been assayed by BIS recognized Hallmarking

Center.

• Which fails to comply with specified fineness/caratage

• Which is not solid or which is made with a hollow center and then filled with base metal, cement, lac or other foreign substance unless the weight of gold is declared by the jeweller.

• Gold article/ornament on which it is physically impossible to stamp the marks.

• Below 9 carat

IS 1418 DETERMINATION OF GOLD IN GOLD IS 1418 DETERMINATION OF GOLD IN GOLD BULLION, GOLD ALLOYS AND GOLD BULLION, GOLD ALLOYS AND GOLD

JEWELLERY/ARTEFACTS-CUPELLATIONJEWELLERY/ARTEFACTS-CUPELLATION(FIRE ASSAY) METHOD(FIRE ASSAY) METHOD

ScopeScope• This standard prescribes the cupellation or

fire assay method for assaying of gold in gold bullion,gold alloys and gold jewellery/artefacts covered in IS 1417.

TERMINOLOGYTERMINOLOGY

The following definitions are used in assaying.

BullionCupellationFine GoldInquartationParting

IS IS 2112:2003 2112:2003 , Silver and Silver Alloys , Silver and Silver Alloys/ – Jewellery Artefacts Fineness and/ – Jewellery Artefacts Fineness and

M M – arking Specification – arking Specification(( Second Revision Second Revision))

• Published in 1962 , 1981 &2003• Draft Revision(Third Revision) is in wide

circulation• Amendment no. 1 issued in Dec. 2003• Amendment no. 2 issued in Jan. 2004• Amendment no. 3 issued in Feb. 2006• Amendment no. 4 issued in July 2008

SCOPESCOPE

• This standard specifies three grades of fine silver and six grades of silver alloys used in

/ .the manufacture of jewellery artefact

• This standard also specifies the guidelines .for marking of purity

GRADESGRADES

– Grade Fineness Fineness» (ISO 9202)

– 9999 ] 999.9 --– 9995 ] Fine silver 999.5 --– 999 ] 999.0

– 990 ] 990.0 --– 970 ] 970.0 --– 925 ] Silver alloys 925.0 925.0– 900 ] for jewellery 900.0 --– 835 ] artefacts 835.0 835.0– 800 ] 800.0 800.0–

Requirements(contd.)Requirements(contd.)SOLDERSOLDER

• Solder of purity 750 silver minimum is used for grades 900, 925, 970 and 990.

• Silver of purity 650 silver minimum is used for grades 800 and 835.

Requirements(contd.)Requirements(contd.) SamplingSampling

Sampling of the Jewellery/ Artefacts shall be as given in 6.2 of this standard.

AssayingAssaying

The samples taken from jewellery/artefacts shall be assayed in accordance with IS 2113.

ToleranceTolerance

No negative tolerance shall be allowed on the silver content of silver article/jewellery.

MARKINGMARKING• The silver and silver alloys, jewellery/artefacts shall be

stamp with standard mark in this case known as Hallmark.

• The Hallmarked article shall carry the following markings:

– BIS Mark Purity grade/fineness Assay centre’s identification mark Year of marking denoted by a letter symbol ( )as defined by BIS Jeweller’s mark/manufacturer’s identification mark

Marking (Contd.)Marking (Contd.)

Only linear design is permittedMarking shall be legible and durableMarking to be done on all detachable

parts

Marking shall not be doneMarking shall not be done which has not been assayed by BIS recognized Hallmarking Center.which has not been assayed by BIS recognized Hallmarking Center.Which fails to comply with specified fineness/caratageWhich fails to comply with specified fineness/caratageWhich is not solid or which is made with a hollow center and then Which is not solid or which is made with a hollow center and then filled with base metal, cement, lac or other foreign substance thereby filled with base metal, cement, lac or other foreign substance thereby giving the article a false or added weight.giving the article a false or added weight.

Silver article/ornament on which it is physically impossible to stamp Silver article/ornament on which it is physically impossible to stamp the marks.the marks.

Hallmarking in IndiaHallmarking in India• Government of India' has

identified BIS a sole agency in India to operate this scheme

• Scheme is voluntary in nature started in year 2000

• BIS Hallmarking Scheme has been aligned with International criteria on hallmarking

Contd…Contd…• Licence is granted to the jewellers by

BIS under Hallmarking Scheme • BIS certified jewellers can get their

jewellery hallmarked from any of the BIS recognized Assaying and Hallmarking Centre

Design of Hallmark on GoldDesign of Hallmark on Gold

A&HMCLogo

JewellersMark

Purity/finenessPurity : 958 – 23 Carat 916 – 22 Carat 875 – 21 Carat

Logo of Hallmarking Centre

Jeweler's Identification Mark

1

2

3

5

BIS Mark

Year of Hallmarking e,g A for 2000, B for 2001J for 2008 K for 2009

Code Letter4

Purity/fineness symbol with Purity/fineness symbol with HallmarkHallmark

Grade Fineness Minimum

Carat

Fine Gold 999 ---Standard Gold 995 ---

958.3 958 23 916.6 916 22875 875 21750 750 18708 708 17585 585 14375 375 9

< 2gm and purity less than 9 carat – Hallmarking not allowed

GRADES GRADES Gold and gold alloys shall be classified in accordance with the Gold and gold alloys shall be classified in accordance with the

following grades depending upon their fineness.following grades depending upon their fineness.

Grade Grade Fineness Fineness CaratCarat /9202ISO/9202ISO

Fine gold Fine gold 999 -999 - --Standard gold 995 -Standard gold 995 - --958.3 958 23958.3 958 23 --916.6 916 22916.6 916 22 916916875 875 21875 875 21 --750 750 18750 750 18 750750708 708 17708 708 17 --585 585 14585 585 14 585 585 375 375 9375 375 9 375 375

Typical Hallmark Symbol in Typical Hallmark Symbol in Gold JewelryGold Jewelry

Display Requirement at ShopDisplay Requirement at Shop

State wise Distribution of State wise Distribution of HallmarkingHallmarking Centre in Eastern Centre in Eastern

RegionRegionState No. of

Hallmarking Centre

Bihar 3

Chhattisgarh 1

Jharkhand 1Odisha 5West Bengal 22Assam & NE State

1

Total 33

Branch wise Distribution of Branch wise Distribution of Licenced JewllersLicenced Jewllers in Eastern Region in Eastern Region

State No. of licenced Jewelers

Bihar 330

Chhattisgarh 53

Jharkhand 196Odisha 522

West Bengal (KKBO & DSBO)

1394302 (1696)

Assam & NE State

141

Total 2938

Objective of the SchemeObjective of the Scheme• Protect Consumer against the

purchase of lesser purity of gold than declared

• Develop export competitiveness• Make India a leading gold market in

the world

Fire Assay (Cupellation) Fire Assay (Cupellation)

• This ancient technique is first referenced by the Egyptians in a Cuneiform tablet dating back to around 13 60 BC, and is based on a gold refining technique.

• In its present form , it remains the most accurate technique for gold assay and serves as the standard technique against which all others are com pared.

• It is covered by ISO standard ISO 11426:1993 and is the reference technique used by all the Assay Offices world wide.

Principle of Fire AssayPrinciple of Fire Assay• The principle is based on the removal of all

base metals from a small weighed sample by oxidation in the cupellation stage to leave a pure gold-silver alloy, followed by removal of the silver by dissolution in nitric acid

• The silver is added to dilute the gold content to 25 % or less (known as Inquartation)

PRINCIPLEPRINCIPLE

• The gold alloys are inquarted with silver, compounded with lead and cupelled in a cupellation furnace until a precious metal button is obtained.

• After flattening and rolling, the silver is extracted (parted) in nitric acid and the gold weighed.

• Possible systematic errors are eliminated by assaying standard proof sample in parallel.

Steps in Assaying and Steps in Assaying and HallmarkingHallmarking

• Receipt of Jewellery and its segregation article wise

• Checking for homogeneity of the lot by XRF • Sampling by Scraping/ Micro Drilling/

Cutting etc. • Assaying of the composite sample as per IS

1418 by Fire Assay Method• In case the sample passes , entire Jewellery

lot is hallmarked by laser marking and returned to the Jeweller

• In case of failure in fire assay, Jewellery is returned back without hallmarking

Homogeneity Homogeneity Check by XRFCheck by XRF

• Receipt of jewellery and segregation article wise

• Checking for homogeneity of the lot by XRF

Sampling by Scraping/ Sampling by Scraping/ Micro Drilling/ CuttingMicro Drilling/ Cutting

• Random Sampling (10%)

• Taking a small scraping from the article (about 250 mgm)

WeighingWeighing

• Weighing it accurately

• Wrapping it in lead foil with some added silver

Fire Assaying Fire Assaying (Cupellation)(Cupellation)

• Assaying of the composite sample as per IS 1418 (ISO 11426:1993 ) by Fire Assay Method

• Cupelling it in in a furnace at about 1100°C

Fire Assaying Fire Assaying (Cupellation)(Cupellation)

• Cupellation removes all base metals

• Parting :

Placing the resulting gold-silver alloy button in nitric acid to dissolve out the silver

WeighingWeighing

• Re-weighing the resulting pure gold

Hallmarking by Hallmarking by LaserLaser

• In case the sample passes, jewellery lot is hallmarked by laser marking and returned to the jeweller

MARKINGMARKING

The “Hallmarked” articles shall carry the following The “Hallmarked” articles shall carry the following markings :markings :

a)a) BIS MarkBIS Markb)b) Purity grade/finenessPurity grade/finenessc)c) Assay centre’s identification markAssay centre’s identification markd)d) Year of marking denoted by a letter Year of marking denoted by a letter ( as defined( as defined

by by )BIS)BIS

e)e) Jeweller’s mark/manufacturer’s Jeweller’s mark/manufacturer’s identification identification markmark

Only linear design is permittedOnly linear design is permitted Marking shall be legible and durableMarking shall be legible and durable Marking to be done on all detachable partsMarking to be done on all detachable parts

Marking shall not be done Marking shall not be done

• which has not been assayed by BIS recognized Hallmarking which has not been assayed by BIS recognized Hallmarking Center.Center.

• Which fails to comply with specified fineness/caratageWhich fails to comply with specified fineness/caratage

• Which is not solid or which is made with a hollow center and Which is not solid or which is made with a hollow center and then filled with base metal, cement, lac or other foreign then filled with base metal, cement, lac or other foreign substance.substance.

• Gold article/ornament on which it is physically impossible to Gold article/ornament on which it is physically impossible to stamp the marks.stamp the marks.

• Below 9 carat Below 9 carat

Comparison of Testing TechniqueComparison of Testing Technique

How to find a BIS Hallmark How to find a BIS Hallmark RetailerRetailer

• More than 10,000 BIS Hallmark jewellers in the country

• Visit web site at www.bis.org.in

Advantage of Purchasing Advantage of Purchasing BIS Hallmark JewllearyBIS Hallmark Jewlleary

• Protect consumer against victimization for lesser purity

• Provide third party assurance• Right to Lodge Complaint• RBI Circular to Banks for Preferential

treatment to Hallmarked Jewellery while granting Advances against Jewellery

While Purchasing….While Purchasing….• Verify that the Shop is authorized to sell

BIS Hallmarked Jewellery – Ask for Licence/documents issued by BIS– Verify from BIS Web site (www.bis.org.in)

• Ask for Magnifying Glass to verify the Hallmark Symbols in the jewellery

• Cash receipt with clear indication of– BIS Hallmark – Purity (example – fineness 916)

What is to be seen before buying ?What is to be seen before buying ?

Thank U….Thank U….