The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Jammu and Kashmir Branch Office, has seized 1,095 gold-coloured jewellery articles from a jewellery outlet in Jammu for suspected misuse of the BIS Hallmark/Standard Mark.
According to BIS, the outlet representative described the seized articles as “coated jewellery”, “imitation jewellery” or “1 gram gold plated jewellery”. The articles, BIS said, do not fall under gold alloy jewellery or artefacts covered by the BIS Hallmarking Scheme.
The seized articles were found carrying tags bearing a triangular mark resembling or purporting to be the BIS Hallmark/Standard Mark.
The jewellery articles, along with documentary evidence, were seized under Section 28 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. Further action will be taken under the applicable provisions of the BIS Act, Rules and Regulations, BIS said.
BIS said the use of the Hallmark/Standard Mark on tags attached to articles represented as coated or imitation jewellery constitutes an offence under the BIS Act, as it may create a misleading impression that the articles are BIS-hallmarked or certified.
The Bureau advised consumers not to treat a BIS logo or Hallmark/Standard Mark appearing only on a tag, label or packaging as proof that the jewellery itself is hallmarked.
For hallmarked gold jewellery, consumers should check that the prescribed hallmark is present on the jewellery article itself and verify its six-digit HUID through the “Verify HUID” feature on the BIS CARE App.
BIS has also appealed to consumers and jewellers to report suspected misuse of the BIS Hallmark/Standard Mark through the BIS CARE App or by email at complaints@bis.gov.in and hjkbo@bis.gov.in.
Complaints can also be submitted to the BIS Jammu and Kashmir Branch Office at SIDCO Industrial Complex, Bari Brahmana, Jammu. BIS said the identity of informants would be kept confidential.
The enforcement action was carried out by the BIS J&K Branch Office.
