The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Jammu and Kashmir Branch Office, has seized 1,095 gold-coloured jewellery articles during a search and seizure operation at a jewellery outlet in Jammu over the suspected misuse of the BIS Hallmark/Standard Mark.

According to BIS, the seized articles were described by the outlet representative as “coated jewellery”, “imitation jewellery” and “1 gram gold plated jewellery”and were not considered gold-alloy jewellery or artefacts covered under the BIS Hallmarking Scheme.

The articles were reportedly found bearing attached tags carrying 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. BIS said further action would be taken under the applicable provisions of the Act, Rules and Regulations.

The standards body said the use of the BIS Hallmark/Standard Mark on tags attached to articles represented as coated or imitation jewellery constitutes an offence under the BIS Act, as it could create a misleading impression that the articles themselves had been BIS hallmarked or certified.

BIS also issued an advisory to consumers, cautioning them against treating a BIS logo or Hallmark/Standard Mark appearing only on a tag, label or packaging as proof that a jewellery article is hallmarked.

For hallmarked gold jewellery, consumers have been advised to ensure that the prescribed hallmark is present on the jewellery article itself and to verify the six-digit Hallmark Unique Identification (HUID) using the "Verify HUID” feature of the BIS CARE App.

BIS urged consumers and jewellers to report suspected misuse of the BIS Hallmark/Standard Mark through the BIS CARE App or via 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.

The Bureau said the identity of informants would be kept confidential.

Courtesy: Rising Kashmir