BIS Accelerates Silver Hallmarking Amid Record Gold Prices

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is revamping its hallmarking infrastructure for silver in response to shifting consumer behavior. As gold prices skyrocket, middle-class households and festival shoppers are turning to certified silver jewellery and artefacts.

Record-high gold prices have altered purchasing patterns ahead of major festive and wedding seasons, prompting consumers to opt for hallmarked silver articles instead. Industry estimates indicate a surge in demand for branded and quality-certified silver products.

To address supply chain lags and purity fraud, the BIS is upgrading testing protocols and encouraging existing gold hallmarking centres to add dedicated silver assaying lines. This includes expanding Assaying and Hallmarking Centres (AHCs) across Tier-2 and Tier-3 commercial hubs and streamlining the Hallmarking Unique Identification (HUID) framework.

The BIS aims to protect retail buyers from under-caratage, a widespread issue in the unorganised silver sector. By enforcing strict hallmarking norms and building testing capacity, authorities intend to bring transparency, standardisation, and formalisation to India's burgeoning silver market.