Hallmarking                                                                    
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Project at a Glance

Contents on the CD Rom

  • Gold prices would be highly dominated by worries about economic growth and sovereign debt and also India has made hallmarking gold jewellery mandatory which will increase the demand
  • A hallmark is a quality control mark placed on an article made of precious metal. Sometimes called a hall, assay or standard mark. It is usually applied after accurate independent testing by an assay office. In the United Kingdom, there are four Assay Offices which are legally empowered to test precious metal objects, and to apply a hallmark to them. These offices are in London, Sheffield, Birmingham, and Edinburgh.
  • Hallmarks are important because they guarantee to the consumer that the article has been independently tested to be of the stated minimum purity. They also inform and protect vendors from unintentionally mis-describing an article. The presence of a hallmark avoids the necessity of re-testing a piece whenever it is valued or offered for resale.
  • In recent years, Assay Office London has received over 69,000 packets containing over 6 million articles per year. The Assay Office is registered to ISO 9001:2000.
  • Before items made of precious metals such as silver, gold or platinum are stamped with an assay's hallmark they undergo rigorous testing to prove whether or not the metal purity measures up to the established standards. In fact, the word assay is derived from the French word meaning to test, trail or examine.
  • The basic method of assaying, also known as the cupellation process, was first introduced by the ancient Egyptians.
  • Traditionally, the hallmarks are 'struck' using steel punches. Punches are made in different sizes, suitable for tiny pieces of jewellary to large silver platters.
  • Laser marking also means that finished articles do not need to be re-finished. Laser marking works by using high power lasers to evaporate material from the metal surface.
  • Assaying and Hallmarking centers are facilitated with the equipment and machinery to check the fineness and karat of gold in gold jewellary and laser marking machines to hallmark jewellary.
  • Hallmarked jewelry carries five marks - the BIS logo, the fineness number, mark of the hallmarking center, year of marking and the jewelers mark.
  • The principal objective of Hallmarking is to maintain legal standards of purity /fineness in gold. In India, the BSI i.e. Bureau of Indian Standards undertakes certification of purity of gold jewellary in accordance with Indian Standards IS:1417 Grades of Gold and Gold Alloys.
  • At present, there are about 37 assaying and hallmarking centers in India - 8 in Tamil Nadu, 8 in Kerala, 6 in Maharashtra, 5 in Gujarat, 5 in Delhi, 3 in West Bengal, 1 in Andhra Pradesh and 1 in Karnataka..
  • India is the largest consumer of gold, followed by the USA. Indian jewellery has a huge demand in the world. India exported gold jewellery worth US $ 3,813 million in year 2004-05.
  • The Indian luxury market is expected to jump ten-fold from US$3 bn in 2010 to approximately US$30 bn by 2015 and a significant majority of about US$9 bn will be jewellery.
  • One assaying and hallmarking centre can hallmark about 800 -1,000 jewellery articles per day. The project cost for an assaying and hallmarking centre is estimated at INR 2 crores
  • India Cabinet OKs Hallmarking in Gold Jewelry - approving an amendment to a law which could lead to compulsory hallmarking. The amendment has to be ratified by parliament before it becomes law. This might take at least seven to eight months - end of 2012

 

General Introduction
  • Hallmarking -consumer advice
  • History of hallmarking
  • Hallmarking : Q&A
  • Hallmarking introduced in India
  • Hallmarking : FAQ
  • Hallmarking
  • Convention on the Control And Marking of Articles of Precious Metals
  • Hallmarks on the Internet

Hallmarking Marks

  • Basic Hallmark Identification
  • UK Hallmark
  • Stamped Marks
  • Sterling Silver Hallmarks
  • National Gold Jewellary Caratages / Finenesses and Marking Requirements
  • Silver Marks

Standards and Certification

  • Consumer Protection on Gold in India
  • Bis Criteria for recognition of Assaying and Hallmarking Centers
  • Standards Formulation
  • Hallmarking of Precious Metal - Regulations 2006
  • Bis Certification scheme for Hallmarking of Gold Jewellary
  • Guidelines for Hallmarking
  • Scheme for Certification of Silver Jewellary/ Artefacts for Fineness Marking As Per is 2112:2003
  • Hallmarking of jewellary done under strict standards: BIS
  • Hallmarking of Gold Jewellary in India
  • Trading Standards - Jewelers' Guide

Rules and Regulations

  • Hallmarking Act
  • Hallmarking Mandatory on Gold Jewellery
  • Hallmarking Within the European Union
  • Edinburgh Assay Office Order Confirmation Act 1996
  • Hallmarking Law
  • Hallmarking (Irish Standards of Fineness) Regulations, 2001
  • Terms and Conditions

Hallmarking Process and Techniques Used

  • Schedule of Accreditation
  • Assaying of gold jewellary –
    Choice of technique
  • Breakthrough in laser marking for precious metals
  • Hallmarking And The Assaying Process
  • Image Recovery of Worn-Off Hallmarks on Silver and Gold Objects
  • Appropriate methods
  • The Hallmarking Process

Cost of Setting Up Hallmarking Center

  • Cost of Assaying and Hallmarking Precious Metal Articles
  • BIS plans to recognise 35 hallmarking centres
  • Discussion
  • Gold hallmarking centres to be expanded
  • List of Hallmarking Fees
  • Gold sold in Delhi not up to standards
  • Coimbatore sees more hallmarking centres

Projects

  • Assaying and Hallmarking Centre
  • Request for Proposal
  • Development Projects
  • SME Sector Challenge project
Hallmarking Centers
  • BIS Recognized Hallmarking Centers
  • British Hallmarking Council
  • NML-DST Gold Hall marking Centre
  • The Goldsmith's Company
  • JM Noble Metals
  • The Birmingham Assay Office
  • The Cochin Assay Company Pvt Ltd

Market

  • Research Study - 2011
  • Gold Trend - 2011
  • UK Hallmarking Figures and Trends
  • Canadian Fine Craft Niche Market Study
  • Hallmarking to Increase Indian Gold Consumption
  • Mandatory hallmarking of jewellery on the cards
  • Hungarian traders call for end to "hallmarking"
  • Demand
  • Real World Analysis of the UK Gold Jewellary Market

Future Trends and Technology

  • How Technology In Watches Is Advancing Today
  • Jewellary Technology
  • Evolving Role of Gold – Recent Trends and Future Direction
  • Trends And Countertrends
    For 2006 And Beyond
  • Deregulation of Gold in India
  • Future of Gold
  • The Futurists

Hallmarking Equipment

  • Metal Testing Kits
  • Hallmarker
  • Lead Test Kit
  • Gold Testing Tools
  • Cupellation (assay) furnaces
  • Electronic Assemblies
  • Fiber Laser Marking System
  • Hallmark Plus Supplier
  • Jewellary Hallmarking System
  • Laser Marking
  • List of Major Equipments for Setting up Gold Assaying and Hallmarking Center

Consultants

  • Informer Consultant Document
  • Experts
  • A Consultation Document
  • The American Gem Consultants Consortium
  • Hallmark expert
  • Specialists
  • Consultants
  • Mr Tom Murray
  • Response of the British Hallmarking Council to the Department of Trade and Industry Consultation Paper Entitled

Reports

  • Slowdown hits Hallmarking
  • Annual Report and Accounts
  • BIS plans to make gold hallmarking mandatory
  • Non-Destructive Imaging
    OfWorn-off Hallmarks and Engravings FromMetal Objects of Art Using Scanning Acoustic Microscopy
  • Hallmarking for silver articles soon
  • Hallmarking of gold jewellary stressed
  • Ultrasonic Nondestructive Imaging of Worn-Off Hallmarks on Silver: Preliminary Results
  • Compliance with Hallmarking Legislation at Jewelers within Sandwell
  • International hallmarking –
    pipedream or possibility?
  • Hallmark Data Systems

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Primary Information Services
 21 Murugappan St, SwamyNagar Ext2, 
Ullagaram, Chennai - 600091, India.
 Phone: 91 44 22421080 
Email : informer@eth.net
Mobile numbers:9940043898, 9444008898  Fax : 91 44 22423753