Hallmark to be made mandatory in 2008

New Delhi, Oct 4: To protect consumer interest, Bureau of Indian Standards will soon make the presence of Hallmark on gold jewellery mandatory starting next year.

Indian Standard Bureau officer Parminder Buzaz said, ''Hallmark on gold ornaments will be made mandatory shortly, where the showroom owners will have to take a license to sell the hallmark ornaments''.

The scheme will be implemented from January 1, 2008 and will be applicable to the four metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata initially, she said while addressing a conference on Gandhi Jayanti organised by Rajput Association of Delhi.

Hallmark is a tiny BIS standard mark specifying the fineness of gold used in the jewellery. Every item from the manufacturer can be tested and branded with the hallmark.

UNI