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Silver Hallmarking Explained as Government Weighs Making It Mandatory
Silver hallmarking is a way to show how pure a silver item is.
The Bureau of Indian Standards checks and certifies the silver.
Hallmarked items carry special marks that buyers can read.
Since September 2025, they also carry a six-digit HUID number.
Buyers can use this number on the BIS CARE app to check the item’s details.
Hallmarking is voluntary for silver today, but the government may make it compulsory.
Common silver items include anklets, chains, rings and bracelets.
A purity number such as 925 means the item is 92.5% silver.
The government is considering making silver jewellery hallmarking mandatory from next month, according to Mint sources.
More than 77 lakh silver jewellery items and artefacts have received six-digit HUID numbers since September 2025.
Silver hallmarking is currently voluntary, unlike gold hallmarking, which has been mandatory since June 2021.
Hallmarked silver displays the BIS Standard Mark, “SILVER,” a purity grade and, since September 2025, a six-digit HUID.
Purity grades range from 999 to 800, with 925 and 800 accounting for nearly 95% of hallmarked items.
- Who
- The Bureau of Indian Standards, silver jewellers, consumers and the government are involved.
- What
- The government is considering mandatory hallmarking for silver jewellery, while the article explains silver purity marks and HUID verification.
- Where
- The scheme applies in India, where 341 silver Assaying and Hallmarking Centres operate across 102 districts.
- When
- Silver hallmarking has been voluntary since October 2005; HUID marking was introduced in September 2025, and mandatory hallmarking is being considered from next month.
- Why
- Hallmarking gives buyers third-party assurance of purity and may help prevent financial losses when silver is resold.
Key facts
- Current status
- Silver hallmarking remains voluntary, while gold hallmarking has been mandatory since June 2021.
- HUID coverage
- More than 77 lakh silver jewellery items and artefacts have received six-digit HUID numbers.
- Registered jewellers
- More than 25,000 silver jewellers are registered with BIS for hallmarking.
- Testing infrastructure
- There are 341 silver Assaying and Hallmarking Centres across 102 districts.
- Most common grades
- Purity grades 925 and 800 account for nearly 95% of hallmarked items.
- Required marks
- Hallmarked silver displays the BIS Standard Mark, the word “SILVER,” its purity grade and, since September 2025, a six-digit alphanumeric HUID.
- Most demanded weights
- Silver articles weighing 10–25 grams and 25–50 grams accounted for 74% of survey responses.
Sources
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