After introducing voluntary hallmarking for silver jewellery and artefacts, the government is now considering extending it to bullion to ensure that jewellery manufacturers get authentic raw material.

To help consumers differentiate between natural and lab-grown diamonds, the government is also planning a framework to bring transparency and accountability to the segment.

Hallmarking is a certification of purity for precious metals. While it has been mandatory for gold jewellery since June 2021, it was made voluntary for silver jewellery and artefacts from September 1, 2025.

Speaking at the CII-organised Gems and Jewellery Conference, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the government was encouraged by the response to gold hallmarking and has now made silver hallmarking voluntary.

"We are trying to see what is the result, what is the reaction of people, what is the response. To us it is very important that we actually make sure that consumers in our country who equally wear silver jewellery are also covered under the credibility and trustworthiness of the products they are buying," Khare said.

She added that the government has introduced identification marks for consumers and is giving the industry time to mature before making silver hallmarking mandatory.

For 20 years, gold hallmarking remained voluntary. "It was very challenging to propose mandatory hallmarking. Big businesses realized it would build their credibility and consumer trust," Khare said.

She highlighted India's diverse jewellery-making traditions and artisan work, noting it was complicated to bring everyone on board for mandatory hallmarking that works for both artisans and industry.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) success has been remarkable, with all Assaying Hallmarking Centres in private hands-not a single one is government-run.

Currently, over 2 lakh jewellers are registered with BIS, along with 65 licensed refiners. There are 1,603 BIS-recognised Assaying Hallmarking Centres and 109 offsite centres. In the current financial year alone, approximately 8.44 crore gold jewellery articles have been hallmarked.

Since mandatory hallmarking began, about 57.17 crore gold jewellery articles have been hallmarked in total. "This has created trust in consumers' minds, especially those who buy gold for investment. The proliferation of Assaying Hallmarking Centres has made it easy for consumers to test jewellery. There is transparency for consumers to verify, and people are encouraged to approach courts or consumer commissions if articles are sold with wrong purity claims," Khare said.

These encouraging trends prompted the government to consider hallmarking bullion, a long-standing demand from jewellers and manufacturers who want to ensure the jewellery they make comes from authenticated stock.

On lab-grown diamonds, Khare said technology has made them commercially viable, necessitating transparency frameworks.

"Lab-grown diamonds are very cheap, and we don't want consumers to be cheated. We are working with the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council and other organizations to bring transparency without burdening the industry." She has been meeting lab-grown diamond jewellers separately, requesting them to declare upfront what they are selling to consumers.

"In our country, people are not price-sensitive when buying jewellery. We can splurge on a good piece. However, they should not get cheated. Those who want to buy lab-grown diamonds should be absolutely clear about what they are buying and that it is not artificial. How it is sourced, ethical considerations, and sustainability issues are important," Khare said.

She emphasized that honesty and truthfulness from jewellers in communicating what they sell is crucial. "Jewellery will not fade away in our country because of variety and social, cultural, and traditional requirements. We are proud people who love to flaunt these things. The important thing is to make sure consumers can walk with their heads high and know what they are wearing," Khare said.

She added that India is among the largest producers of polished diamonds and also the largest consumer, making it important to ensure smooth industry transition while maintaining high integrity in processes, products, and labelling. Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council Executive Director Sabyasachi Ray said sustainability requires standards beyond products.

"It should expand to responsibility in sourcing goods. About 4.3-5 million people are employed in the industry. What are their working standards? The new labour code has passed. How much do we pay them? Where do they stay after retirement? Their health standards-all these will be very important. That is one area GJEPC will focus on," Ray said.

Derewala Industries Chairman Pramod Agarwal, and De Beers Group Vice President (Government Affairs) Shridaran Pillay were also present at the event.

Courtesy: ET