BIS hallmark and HUID: the tiny marks that prove your gold is real

Somewhere on your gold is a stamp smaller than a grain of rice. Read it, check its six-character code on your phone, and you know what you own.

What are the three marks of a BIS hallmark with HUID?

A BIS hallmark is made of exactly three marks: the BIS standard mark (a small triangle logo), the purity grade written as karat and number together, such as 22K916 or 18K750, and the six-character HUID.^[1] All three sit side by side, usually inside a ring or near a clasp.

The marks are tiny, so use a zoomed phone camera or a 10x magnifier. A genuine HUID is marked with a laser, so the edges look crisp rather than punched or smudged.^[1]

A common case: a family looks through bangles bought over several years. The newer ones show three marks; an older pair shows the BIS logo, a purity number and two other small stamps. Both can be genuine — the older pair follows the hallmarking rules of its time.^[2]

What is the HUID, and is it mandatory?

The HUID is the part of the hallmark that belongs to your piece alone. Under Bureau of Indian Standards rules, hallmarked gold jewellery may not be sold without a HUID from 1 April 2023.^[2] Before that date, a hallmark told you the purity; the HUID now also lets you look up that particular piece.

Each HUID is given when the jewellery is tested at a hallmarking centre, the independent lab recognised by BIS to check purity.^[1] The code is recorded with the jeweller who sent the piece and the purity it passed at. A stamp can be copied, but that record cannot be edited by the shop selling to you.

A HUID does not expire: the code stays linked to one piece for as long as the marking can be read.^[1]

How do you check a HUID number in the BIS Care app?

You check a HUID by typing its six characters into Verify HUID in the free BIS Care app.^[3] The app, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards for Android and iPhone, then shows the details recorded against that code, such as the purity and the type of article.^[2]

Two details catch people out. Characters such as O and 0 or I and 1 are easy to misread, so check each one again if nothing is found. And a match on purity alone is not enough: if the app says ring and you are holding a pendant, the code belongs to a different piece.

What do the purity numbers in a hallmark mean?

The number in a hallmark tells you how much of the piece is pure gold: 750 means 75 per cent gold, 916 means about 91.6 per cent.^[1] The rest is other metals, mixed in for strength and colour. BIS recognises a fixed set of grades, and 9K was added to the list in 2025.^[5]

Higher is not automatically better for jewellery you wear. Standard 22K gold is soft and wears faster than 18K, which is why diamonds are usually set in 18K or 14K.^[6] At QWEEN, diamond jewellery is made mainly in 14K and 18K, so its hallmark reads 14K585 or 18K750. Our guide to 24K, 22K, 18K and 14K gold walks through how each one wears.

What if your gold has no HUID?

Gold without a HUID is not automatically fake; it may simply have been hallmarked before the six-character code existed. Older BIS hallmarks used the BIS logo and purity with the centre's and jeweller's marks, and the government has said jewellery hallmarked under those rules remains valid for its owners.^[2]

Some pieces carry no hallmark at all. Very light jewellery, under 2 grams, is exempt from mandatory hallmarking, so a small nose pin may have no stamp.^[1] Older family gold often has none either.

No hallmark does not mean bad gold. It means the purity has not been proved.

If you want to know what an unmarked or older piece is made of, BIS allows consumers to have jewellery tested at a BIS-recognised hallmarking centre for a fee.^[1] At QWEEN, plain gold of 9K and above, including gold bought from other jewellers, can come in for the Assured Gold Exchange: it is tested in front of you and valued at the day's gold rate.

Can a hallmark be faked, and how can you be sure?

A stamp on its own can be imitated, which is why the HUID record matters.^[2] A copied or invented code shows nothing in the BIS Care app, or shows details that do not match your piece. The check takes less than a minute.

A second check is a purity test: an XRF gold analyser reads the metal in seconds without marking it.

In QWEEN stores, a GoldSure Meter™ for gold purity and a DiamondIQ Meter™ for diamonds are on hand, so you can see a piece tested rather than take it on trust.

What should your bill say about the hallmark?

Your bill should match the hallmark. BIS asks jewellers to show, for each hallmarked piece, a description, the net weight of the precious metal, its purity in karat and as the hallmark number, and the hallmarking charge.^[4] If the bill says 22K and the stamp says 18K750, ask before you leave the shop.

Keep the bill with any certificate that came with the piece; together they are what a jeweller looks at when you resell, exchange or claim a repair. At QWEEN, a warranty claim is made with the invoice and certificates, so both belong with the piece. Our guide to how a gold jewellery price is calculated shows where weight, purity and making charges sit on a bill.

How does QWEEN show you that your gold is genuine?

QWEEN's view is that you should be able to check purity yourself rather than take it on trust. That is why QWEEN BIS hallmarks every piece of its gold jewellery, so each one carries the three marks and a HUID you can look up in the BIS Care app.

QWEEN adds proof for the stones as well as the gold. QWEEN has its diamonds and gemstones certified by IGI, and its signature solitaires by GIA, so on a QWEEN piece the hallmark answers for the gold and the certificate answers for each stone. QWEEN sources its diamonds through a single supply-chain partner, Rosy Blue, and documents each stone's path from rough to finished piece as Mine to Marvel™ traceability — see how QWEEN certifies its jewellery. QWEEN stores keep pieces on open display, and you can walk in without an appointment to read a hallmark yourself.

To see it for yourself, bring your phone to a QWEEN store and check a piece's HUID in the app, or ask for a QWEEN video consult and see the hallmark on camera. You can also reach QWEEN's concierge by phone or WhatsApp on +91 79772 79772.

Seeing it in the metal

Each of these 18K QWEEN pieces carries the full BIS hallmark with its own HUID, so you can check it in the app the day it arrives.

18K · Desert Noon

No Full Stops Necklace

View piece

18K · Desert Noon

Golden Words Necklace

View piece

18K · Rose Bloom

Watch Me Bloom Earrings

View piece

18K · Desert Noon

Saltline Pendant

View piece

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Bureau of Indian Standards, Hallmarking FAQ — on the three marks, purity grades and consumer testing
2. Press Information Bureau, HUID mandatory on hallmarked gold jewellery — on the 1 April 2023 HUID rule and verifying in the BIS Care app
3. Bureau of Indian Standards, BIS apps — on BIS Care, Verify HUID and complaints
4. Bureau of Indian Standards, Hallmarking: jewellers — on what the invoice for hallmarked jewellery must show
5. Press Information Bureau, BIS hallmarking stakeholder meet — on 9K being added as a hallmarking grade
6. Ganoksin, Hard 22 carat gold alloy — on standard 22K being softer than 18K