Speaking at the 78th BIS Foundation Day in the capital, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has already started work in this direction
New Delhi: The Government is considering mandatory hallmarking of silver jewellery and artefacts, going by the demand of consumers and several stakeholders in the industry. While hallmarking for silver jewellery continues to be voluntary, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Pralhad Joshi urged the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to hasten the process of making it mandatory. The Minister was speaking at the 78th BIS Foundation Dayin New Delhi.
Over 44.28 crore articles of gold jewellery and artefacts have been hallmarked so far, Joshi said, since Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) became a legal mandate for sale of gold jewellery in India. Last month, media reports said that a scheme for mandatory hallmarking for silver was currently under consideration and several issues in terms of implementation were being worked out. Among other issues, durability of the HUID mark had been identified as a concern to be worked upon. Unlike the HUID mark on a gold surface, an embossed HUID mark on a silver surface may corrode and fade away with time. The Government is looking at ways to retain the HUID mark on silver surfaces.
If silver comes under hallmarking, it will improve trust and credibility in the silver industry while making pricing more transparent.
Work in this direction has already started and the BIS is also holding consultations with stakeholders, Joshi told reporters on the sidelines of the BIS Foundation Day event.
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