Guwahati: Officials of the Bureau of Indian Standards on Friday advised gold jewellery buyers to look for the BIS hallmark logo to be assured of its purity.

From January 1, 2017, the bureau has made compulsory inclusion of four marks on gold and silver jewellery - the BIS mark, carat (22K, 18K and 14K) and purity percentage mark (916, 75), identification mark of the assaying and hallmarking centre and the jewellery manufacturer's mark.

There are 495 hallmark licensees in the Northeast, of which 433 are in Assam. In Assam, the assaying centres are in Guwahati and Silchar.

BIS director Amit Roy said here, "The objective of hallmarking gold is to protect customers against adulteration. Hallmarking provides assurance that the customer is getting the right purity of gold at a given price, indication of the jeweller's capability and certification for export. The names of hallmark jewellers are available on our website and we will shortly publish their names in local newspapers for the benefit of customers."

Under a new scheme, the Centre will provide subsidy for establishing assaying and hallmarking centres, including 50 per cent for private units and 70 per cent for public sector undertakings, in un-represented areas.

Only the first unit can avail the subsidy, Roy said.

Nikhil Asom Swarna Shilpa Samiti (Kamrup) joint secretary Haridas Debnath requested the BIS to set up assaying and hallmarking centres in all Assam districts.

"Jewellers from districts have to travel to Guwahati to get jewellery assayed and hallmarked, increasing the manufacturing cost. Setting up of hallmark centres in district headquarters will ultimately benefit the customer," he said.

The fee for hallmarking gold jewellery is Rs 35 per article or Rs 200 per consignment while for silver it is Rs 25 per article and Rs 150 per consignment.