The purity of gold has always been one of the greatest concerns for buyers in India. But with the advent of hallmarking by BIS in India, buyers are feeling more confident with their gold purchases. To ensure you are not cheated when purchasing physical gold (gold coins & Jewellery); it is suggested to go for hallmarked gold articles. Not only it ensures purity but also helps you get better resale value if you sell it later.
On this page, we will discuss various terms namely BIS Hallmark Gold, KDM gold and 916 Gold which you will come across at the time of buying gold. Knowing the difference between these three will help you narrow down your choice in gold purity and quality.
What is Hallmark Gold?
The process of certifying the purity and fineness of gold is called hallmarking. If you see BIS hallmark on the gold jewellery/gold coin, it means it conforms to a set of standards laid by the BIS. Hallmarking gives consumers an assurance regarding the purity of the gold they bought. That is, if you are buying hallmarked 18K gold jewellery, it will actually mean that 18/24 parts are gold and rest is alloy.
Bureau of Indian Standards, the National Standards Body of India, is responsible for hallmarking gold as well as silver jewellery under the BIS Act. Here are the four components one must look at the time of buying gold (they are mentioned in the laser engraving of a hallmark seal):
- BIS Hallmark: Indicates that its purity is verified in one of its licensed laboratories
- Purity in Karat and fineness (corresponding to given Karatage KT)
- 22K916 (91.6% Purity)
- 18K750 (75% Purity)
- 14K585 (58.5% Purity)
- Assaying & Hallmarking Centre’s mark
Jeweller’s unique identification mark
What is KDM Gold?
KDM gold is a type of gold alloy where 92 per cent gold and 8 per cent cadmium alloy is mixed; this is where the term KDM gold came from. This mixture was used to attain a high standard of purity in gold. Although it didn’t affect the purity, it caused serious health issues for artisans working with it and due to this; it is now banned by BIS. Now cadmium is replaced with advanced solder metal such as Zinc and other metals.
What does ‘916 Gold’ mean?
In layman terms, it is another name of 22K gold. For e.g. if 22K gold weighs 100 gm, it contains 91.6 gm of pure gold per 100 grams of alloy.