In this guide
Every hallmarked gold ornament sold in India carries a set of marks so small that most buyers never look at them. Those marks are the only independent proof you have that the gold you bought is the gold you were promised. Learning to read them takes about two minutes, and it is the single most useful thing a gold buyer can know.
What does 916 gold mean?
916 means 22 carat gold — 91.6% pure gold, with the remaining 8.4% made up of other metals such as copper, silver or zinc.
The number is simply the purity expressed in parts per thousand. Out of 1,000 parts, 916 are pure gold. Divide 22 by 24 (the carat scale) and you get 0.916 — which is where both the number and the name come from.
When a jeweller in Tamil Nadu says "916 thangam", they mean standard 22-carat jewellery gold. It is the purity used for almost all gold ornaments sold in India.
Carat, purity and fineness — the full table
| Carat | Fineness mark | Purity | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24K | 999 / 995 | 99.9% / 99.5% | Bars and some coins |
| 23K | 958 | 95.8% | Jewellery |
| 22K | 916 | 91.6% | Most Indian gold jewellery |
| 20K | 833 | 83.3% | Jewellery |
| 18K | 750 | 75.0% | Diamond and stone-set jewellery |
| 14K | 585 | 58.5% | Lightweight and western-style jewellery |
| 9K | 375 | 37.5% | Currently a voluntary hallmarking grade |
At today's rate, the difference is easy to see: 24K gold is ₹14,150 per gram while 22K is ₹13,040 per gram in Vellore (30 October 2026). The gap is the purity difference, not a discount.
Why is jewellery 22K and not pure 24K?
Pure gold is soft — soft enough to bend with your fingers and scratch against a fingernail. A 24K bangle would deform in daily wear and a 24K clasp would not survive a season.
Alloying gold with a small proportion of harder metals gives it the strength to hold a shape, take a polish, and survive being worn every day for decades. That is why 22K became the Indian jewellery standard, and why 18K is preferred for diamond settings, where prongs must grip stones securely.
The practical rule
Buy 22K when the purpose is jewellery you will wear. Buy 18K when the piece is built around diamonds or coloured stones. Gold coins are sold in both 24K and 22K (916); our own coins are 916, because a 916 coin is already at jewellery purity if you exchange it for an ornament later.
The hallmark gold symbol: how to read the BIS mark
When people ask about the "hallmark symbol" on gold, they usually mean the small BIS triangle, but it is only one of the marks. Since HUID was introduced on 1 July 2021, a hallmarked gold ornament in India carries three marks. Older pieces may carry four or five, including a jeweller's mark and a year code, which have since been dropped.
- The BIS logo — a triangular mark of the Bureau of Indian Standards. This confirms the piece was tested at a BIS-recognised assaying and hallmarking centre.
- The purity/fineness grade — such as 22K916, 18K750 or 14K585. This is the tested purity, not the jeweller's claim.
- The six-digit HUID — a unique alphanumeric code, laser-engraved, that identifies your specific piece.
The marks are tiny and usually placed somewhere discreet: the clasp of a chain, the inner surface of a bangle, the post of an earring. A jeweller will show you where they are and can offer a loupe if you would like to see them clearly. Asking to see them is completely normal — do not feel awkward about it.
The HUID — and how to check it yourself
The HUID (Hallmark Unique Identification) is a six-character code assigned to each individual hallmarked article. No two pieces share one. It is the detail that makes modern hallmarking genuinely verifiable rather than merely decorative.
You can check it yourself:
- Download the BIS Care app, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards, from the Play Store or App Store.
- Open the "Verify HUID" option.
- Enter the six-digit code engraved on your ornament.
- The app returns the registered details of that piece — including the purity it was tested at and the hallmarking centre that tested it.
If the details on your screen do not match the piece in your hand, that is a genuine red flag worth raising with the jeweller immediately — and, if unresolved, with BIS through the same app.
Do this once, on your next purchase
Verify the HUID of one piece with the BIS Care app while you are still standing in the showroom. It takes under a minute, it tells you a great deal about the shop you are dealing with, and it costs nothing.
How to spot a fake hallmark on gold
A logo and a purity number can be punched onto any piece of metal. The HUID is the mark that cannot be faked, because it has to match a record held by BIS. So spotting a fake hallmark means checking the marks against each other and against that record, not just looking at the stamp.
- Count the marks. A piece sold as new jewellery today should carry all three: the BIS triangle, the purity grade and a six-character HUID. A new piece with a logo and "916" but no HUID is not correctly hallmarked. The exception is older gold, hallmarked before July 2021, which carries the earlier four- or five-mark format with no HUID. That is not a fake.
- Look at how the marks are made. Current marks are laser-engraved: small, sharp and evenly spaced. A blurred or uneven stamp on a piece described as new is a reason to ask questions.
- Verify the HUID in BIS Care. This is the decisive test. If the app finds no record for the code, or the record describes a different type of article or a different purity from the piece in your hand, treat the hallmark as unreliable.
- Match the bill to the piece. The bill for hallmarked jewellery should state each article's description, net gold weight, purity and the hallmarking charge. A bill that leaves out the purity, or names a different one from the stamp, is a warning sign.
- Be wary of "916" alone. A bare "916" with no BIS triangle and no HUID is the jeweller's own claim, not a hallmark.
If a piece fails any of these checks, raise it with the seller first. If that does not resolve it, file a complaint with BIS through the same BIS Care app.
Is hallmarking compulsory in India?
Yes. Hallmarking of gold jewellery and artefacts is mandatory across the notified districts of India, which include all major jewellery markets. Registered jewellers may only sell hallmarked gold jewellery in the permitted purities, and each piece must carry a HUID.
The regime began in June 2021 in 256 districts — Vellore among them — and has been extended in phases since. The eighth phase, in force from August 2026, took the total to 392 districts. Mandatory hallmarking covers six caratages of gold jewellery and artefacts: 14K (585), 18K (750), 20K (833), 22K (916), 23K (958) and 24K (995). A provision for 9K hallmarking is also available, which BIS describes as currently a voluntary grade. In practice, any established jeweller in Tamil Nadu today sells hallmarked gold as a matter of course.
A few sensible exemptions exist — for example, articles weighing less than two grams, articles meant for export that conform to the foreign buyer's specification, and the special categories of Kundan, Polki and Jadau jewellery. If a jeweller tells you a particular piece is exempt, it is reasonable to ask why, and to get the answer in writing on the bill.
BIS requires the bill for hallmarked jewellery to show each article's description, the net weight of gold, its purity in carat and fineness, and the hallmarking charges. The hallmarking fee is paid by the jeweller to the hallmarking centre for every article, whatever its weight; a BIS notification of 14 September 2026 raised it from ₹45 to ₹75 per gold article, plus taxes.
What about gold you already own?
Older family jewellery often predates the current system and may carry no hallmark, or only an old-style mark. This does not mean it is impure — a great deal of unhallmarked traditional gold is perfectly good 22K.
What it does mean is that its purity has not been independently certified, so when you exchange or sell it, the buyer will test it. Reputable jewellers do this openly, usually with an XRF machine that reads purity in seconds, and show you the reading before quoting.
If you are exchanging old gold:
- Ask to see the purity reading on the machine yourself.
- Ask what deduction, if any, applies for melting or refining loss.
- Get the assessed purity and weight written on your bill before the exchange is finalised.
At our showroom, hallmarking for certification of purity is one of the services we have offered for years, and we test and show old gold openly before any exchange.
Ask us anything about purity
Not sure what the marks on a piece mean? Send us a clear photograph on WhatsApp and we will tell you what it says.