Silver hallmarking: Govt rolls out voluntary system to check metal purity; check details

If you’re planning to buy silver jewellery but unsure about its purity, there’s good news. The government has introduced voluntary hallmarking for silver jewellery and articles, backed by a digital identification system to assure quality and protect consumers, effective from September 1.The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) updated its hallmarking standard with the release of IS 2112:2025, replacing the earlier IS 2112:2014 version. The revision introduces Hallmarking Unique Identification (HUID)-based hallmarking for silver, aligning it with the gold hallmarking system and improving traceability.According to an official statement released on Thursday, consumers can now verify the article type, purity grade, hallmarking date, testing centre details and jeweller registration number of hallmarked silver through the BIS Care mobile application. This facility applies to all silver jewellery marked after 1 September 2025, as per PTI.The updated standard specifies seven purity grades: 800, 835, 925, 958, 970, 990, and 999 – with 958 and 999 newly added. Each hallmark carries three components: the BIS Standard Mark with the word SILVER, the purity grade, and the HUID code.Currently, about 230 BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centres for silver are operating across 87 districts. In the financial year 2024–25, more than 3.2 million silver articles were hallmarked. Under the previous IS 2112:2014 system, hallmarking was permitted in six grades – 800, 835, 900, 925, 970, and 990, with a four-part hallmark that included centre and jeweller identification, PTI reported.Ahead of the rollout, BIS held a stakeholder consultation on 7 August 2025, with participation from more than 80 stakeholders including jewellers, testing centres and consumer representatives. The bureau has also launched awareness campaigns through its branch offices and social media.