- October 9, 2025
Buying Gold This Diwali? Here’s How To Check The Purity Of Your Jewellery
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Gold prices surged over 50 percent in 2025 amid festival demand and macro uncertainty. BIS hallmark and BIS Care app help buyers verify purity and avoid scams.
Here’s a Quick Guide to Check Gold Purity
How To Check Gold Purity: Gold has seen a phenomenal rally in 2025 with an appreciation over 50 per cent so far. The rise in gold price is primarily driven by macrolevel uncertainty, hoarding by central banks, and investors rush as a hedge against volatility.
Festival season is currently underway, and has seen a high demand of gold-based jewellery and accessories across the country. The nine-day Navratri festival and Dusshera have just passed and another major festival Dhanteras, when the demand of gold is expected to shoot up, is approaching.
But the demand spike will also lead to proliferation of spurious items to scam the innocent customers. Gold customers could be another target amid the skyrocketing prices of gold.
It’s costlier than ever to purchase gold jewellery and in that scenario, if someone sells you a spurious gold item, it’s a heavy loss.
Thus, it’s more important than ever to ensure that what jewellery you are purchasing is pure and fraud-proof. Then how you can check the gold purity so you don’t get scammed.
How To Check Gold Purity
In India, genuine gold jewellery comes with a BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) hallmark. Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in precious metal articles.
Here are the commonly used gold markings, along with their percentages:
24 K – 99.9% pure gold (999)
22 K – 91.7% pure gold (917)
18 K – 75% pure gold (750)
14 K – 58.3% pure gold (583)
10 K – 41.7% pure gold (417)
How To Check Gold Purity
1. Check for BIS Hallmark. It has three key symbols:
- BIS logo
- Purity in carat or fineness (like 22K or 916 for 91.6% purity)
- Jeweller’s identification mark
2. Use the BIS Care App
- Download the ‘BIS Care’ app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Open it and tap on “Verify Jeweller/Assaying & Hallmarking Centre”.
- Enter the 6-digit HUID number engraved on your jewellery.
The app will show you:
- Purity details
- Jeweller’s name
- Hallmarking centre info
Other Methods To Check Purity
1. Try the Float Test (Quick Home Test)
- Fill a small bowl with water.
- Drop the gold item gently.
- Pure gold sinks, while fake or impure gold might float or stay suspended.
- (Note: This is just an indicative test, not 100% accurate.)
2. Do a Magnet Test
- Use a small magnet near the jewellery.
- Gold is non-magnetic, so it should not be attracted.
- If it sticks, the item likely contains other metals.
3. Visit a Jeweller for an XRF Test
Go to a certified jeweller or hallmarking centre.
They can test your gold with an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) machine — a quick, non-destructive way to check exact purity.
Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst…Read More
Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Inst… Read More
October 09, 2025, 09:35 IST
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