How to Check Hallmark Before Buying Gold and Where to Complaint After Being Cheated
rebecca
4 min read
When buying gold jewelry, it is important to always check the hallmark first in order to make sure you are getting genuine gold instead of a fake. Unfortunately, gold dealers have been known to deceive customers by passing off fake pieces as real ones and thus cheating them out of their money. Luckily, there are several steps consumers can take to ensure they don’t get cheated before making their purchase and know what to do if they feel like they have been deceived afterwards. This article will provide an overview of how to check hallmark before buying gold and what steps can be taken if someone finds themselves a victim of fraud.
What is Assaying?
The word “assaying” is used in two different ways when talking about gold. The first way is to describe the process of testing gold to determine its purity. The second way is to describe the value of gold based on its weight and purity.
When you take your gold to a jeweler or other professional to have it tested, they will use a variety of methods to figure out how pure it is. The most common method is called fire assay. With this method, a small sample of the gold is heated until it melts and then cooled so that it can be weighed. The weight of the gold is then compared to the weight of the original sample to determine its purity.
Gold is typically measured in karats. Pure gold is 24 karats, but most commercially available gold is only 14 or 18 karats. This means that it contains 14 or 18 parts pure gold for every 24 parts total. So, if you have an 18-karat piece of jewelry, only 18/24ths or 75% of it is actually made up of pure gold.
The price of gold fluctuates constantly based on a number of factors including demand, politics, and economics. However, you can generally expect that one ounce of pure gold will be worth around $1,200USD. This means that an 18-karat piece of jewelry would be worth about $900USD if it were made entirely of pure gold.
Why is Buying Hallmarked Gold Important?
When we talk about hallmark, it simply means a quality assurance stamp on gold jewellery. In India, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is responsible for hallmarking gold jewellery. The main objective of BIS is to ensure that the gold sold in the country meets certain purity standards.
There are four components of a BIS Hallmark – the BIS Logo, the fineness code, Jewellers Identification Mark and Assaying and Hallmarking Centre’s mark.
The fineness code indicates the purity of gold in parts per thousand. For instance, 18K gold is denoted as ‘750’ meaning it is 75% pure gold or 18kt. 22K gold is denoted as ‘916’ meaning it is 91.6% pure or 22kt. 24K gold is denoted as ‘999’ meaning it is 99.9% pure or 24kt.
The other three marks are self-explanatory – the BIS logo ensures that the piece of jewellery has been certified by BIS, the Jeweler’s identification mark is the registered trademark/logo of the jeweller and finally, Assaying and Hallmarking Centre’s mark denotes at which centre the jewellery piece was hallmarked.
As per government rules, it is mandatory for allgold jewellers to hallmark their gold jewellery products.
What are the BIS Hallmark Signs or Stickers?
There are a few things to look for when checking hallmark on gold before making a purchase. The most important is the BIS Hallmark, which is a stamp of quality assurance from the Bureau of Indian Standards. If a piece of gold jewelry does not have this stamp, it is likely not real gold. Other hallmarks to look for include the purity of the gold (measured in karats), the manufacturer’s mark, and the jeweler’s mark. These marks can all be found on the inside of the band or on the back of the pendant. If any of these marks are missing or appears to be tampered with, do not buy the gold. You can also complaint to your local consumer court if you have been cheated by a jeweler.
What Would Happen If A Buyer Bought Jewellery That Wasn’t Hallmarked?
If a Buyer buys jewellery that wasn’t hallmarked, they may not be able to tell if the piece is made of real gold or not. If the jewellery is not made of real gold, it may not last as long or look as nice as a piece that is made of real gold. Additionally, the Buyer may not be able to get a refund for the purchase if they are not satisfied with the jewellery.
