HUID Hallmarking Rules for Jewellery Shops — Explained Simply

What is HUID?

HUID stands for Hallmark Unique Identification. It is a 6-character alphanumeric code given to each hallmarked piece of gold jewellery by an Assaying & Hallmarking Centre (AHC) recognised by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). No two pieces share the same HUID, so any piece can be traced back to the jeweller and the centre that hallmarked it.

Customers can verify a piece’s HUID themselves using the BIS CARE app, so a correct, well-kept record matters for your shop’s trust.

What a BIS hallmark contains

Today’s hallmark has three marks:

1. The BIS standard mark (logo)
2. Purity / fineness grade — for example 22K916, 18K750, 14K585
3. The 6-character HUID

Older hallmarks also included the jeweller’s mark and year mark. From 1 April 2023, gold jewellery sold in hallmarking-mandatory areas must carry the HUID-based hallmark.

What jewellery shops need to do

• Register with BIS if you sell gold jewellery in a district where hallmarking is mandatory (small jewellers below the turnover limit set by BIS may be exempt — check the current rule).
• Get pieces hallmarked at a BIS-recognised AHC before selling them.
• Record the HUID of every piece you hold in stock.
• Mention the HUID and purity on the customer’s bill.
• Know the exemptions — BIS has excluded some items (for example very light jewellery below the notified weight and certain traditional types) from mandatory hallmarking.

Keeping HUID records that hold up

The practical challenge is not the rule — it is keeping track of hundreds or thousands of HUIDs. A paper list cannot tell you instantly whether a HUID is in stock, sold, or out with a karigar for repair.

• Enter the HUID when the piece enters stock, along with gross weight, net weight and purity
• Print it on the barcode tag so it is never re-typed at billing
• Let the bill pick up the HUID automatically when the tag is scanned
• Search by HUID when a customer comes back with a piece

Doing this in software

DMD Gold is made only for the jewellery trade, with a simple screen that shop owners, family members and counter staff can learn without any computer background. DMD Gold stores the HUID with every item — added one by one or through bulk upload — prints barcode tags, and lets you search and trace any piece by its HUID. Scan the tag at the counter and the item, HUID and price fill in on the bill.

Frequently asked questions