Hallmarking
What is Hallmarking?
Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of precious metal content on precious metal articles. Hallmarking is 3rd-party guarantee assurance for the jewellery sold. It certifies that the articles are of declared purity & do not contain deleterious elements.
The Hallmarking act allows for the certification of the following Karatages.
| Gold | Silver |
| 22K 916 | 925 |
| 18K 750 | |
| 14K 585 |
Founded in 2002 - CGR Hallmarkers, previously Cochin Assay Company, was set up to provide assaying & hallmarking of precious metal articles as required by the Hallmarking Act. It has the distinction of being pioneers of hallmarking in India, with origins traced to Chemmanur Gold Refinery, which is India's first BIS recognised hallmarking centre.
Over the years the company has expanded into Jewellery valuation, Laser engraving services and has built up a strong network in 5 cities. With State of the art infrastructure, Our Trichur Hallmarking centre which is spread over 10,000 sq.ft, is the largest hallmarking centre in India capable of hallmarking over 20,000pc/day.
Bureau of Indian Standards mark
Gold purity - in Karatage & Fineness
Hallmarking centres Mark
Jewellers Identification Mark
The hallmarking process
inspection
All ornaments are first analysed on XRF Spectrometers, through which homogeneity of the batch is verified. Only those conforming to the declared karatage are accepted for the next stage of sampling & assaying. Samples are drawn either by drilling, cutting or grinding, without causing damage to the jewellery.
Assaying
The obtained samples are then tested for purity by Fire Assay as per IS 1418:2015. Only those lots that conform to the declared karatage, as confirmed by the fire assay, are accepted for the next stage, Hallmarking.
Hallmarking
Hallmarking is done on arbour presses or laser machines, capable of marking delicate & intricate jewellery. Laser machines ensure that the mark is legible; even hard to reach areas can be Hallmarked, with zero damage to the Jewellery.
Why BIS Hallmarked Jewellery?
| Benefits to Jeweller | Benefits to Customer |
|---|---|
| Jewellery fabrication is a complex & laborious process, Hallmarking certification enables jewellers to maintain strict quality control on the sourcing and fabrication of jewellery, It also helps in the detection of deleterious elements like cadmium & common adulterants such as iridium & ruthenium, and calls for use of better technology in jewellery fabrication. |
Hallmarked Jewellery can be bought in good faith, knowing that the article has undergone rigorous tests & quality checks at an independent 3rd Party verification agency to ensure that the jewellery conforms to the quality standards of the Bureau of Indian Standards. The sale of jewellery also fetches better resale value when armed with a hallmark certificate.
|
Locations Serviced
| City | Contact Details |
|---|---|
| Cochin | CGR Hallmarkers, 62/1906 A, Sadanam road extn., Cochin, Kerala |
| Trivandrum | CGR Travancore Hallmarks,4th floor, Karimpanal arcade, East fort, Trivandrum, Kerala |
| Kollam | CGR Kollam Hallmark,4th Floor, Ponnamma Chambers II, Abv Chungath, Kollam |
| Trichur | CGR Cochin Assay,25/1279, Pazhayanadakavu, Round west, Trichur, Kerala |
| Coimbatore | CGR Covai Hallmarks,1st Floor, STR Thanga maligai building, Raja Street, Coimbatore, |
Hallmarking FAQ's
History of Indian Hallmarking
Dates back to 1999, when the World Gold council joined the BIS in supporting the launch of the Hallmarking scheme. The necessary technical support was ensured from the Birmingham Assay Office, England. In the meantime, standards are 1417:1999 for jewellers and are 1418: 1999 for HM centres was published ensuring a legal framework for the scheme.
Chemmanur Gold Refinery ( now CGR Metalloys ) had in place the necessary infrastructure for assaying and processing of precious metals, approached the BIS in 1999 and emerged as the 1st BIS recognised assay and hallmarking centre in the country.
The hallmarking scheme was formally launched at Hotel Le Meridian, New Delhi on 11 April 2000 by the then Union Minister for Consumer Affairs – Shri. Santha Ram.
- Kunjikannan Jewellery, Kannur, Kerala went onto become the 1st BIS Licensee Jeweller in the country.
- Chemmanur Gold Refinery, Cochin hallmarked the 1st jewellery article in India.