The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) proposes to introduce Unique Identification Number (UIN) as a component of hallmark to ensure traceability of such certified articles in a bid to protect consumers from being cheated. Sunil Soni, Director-General, BIS, said the UIN concept in jewellery is expected to be operatio
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) proposes to introduce Unique Identification Number (UIN) as a component of hallmark to ensure traceability of such certified articles in a bid to protect consumers from being cheated.
Sunil Soni, Director-General, BIS, said the UIN concept in jewellery is expected to be operational later this year. It will also help the standards body take action against the unscrupulous manufacturers misusing the ISI mark/hallmark.
Each high value jewellery piece of over 10 gram will come with a card carrying the UIN and the code can be read with a quick response (QR) reader or a mobile application that will be developed, Soni said. BIS will be working with an IT vendor to develop the software and implement the system.
The concept of hallmarking is voluntary and is catching up, mainly in Southern and, to some extent, Western India.
Questioning the rationale of the proposed BIS move, a leading jeweller in Delhi said hallmarked jewellery already carries the BIS logo, the lab code that has issued the hallmark, purity of the jewel, year of hall marking and jeweller details.
Soni clarified that going ahead, the hallmarked jewels may sport the BIS logo, purity and the nine-digit code, while the year of hallmarking may go.
“We are working on what else to be included. A final decision will be taken soon,” he added. Further, in a bid to ensure that more jewellers take up hallmarking, the BIS has decided to reduce the licensing charges – mainly for the smaller towns and cities.