Key Takeaways
- 24K = 99.9% pure gold; 22K = 91.6%; 18K = 75%. The karat tells you exactly how much actual gold you’re getting.
- BIS Hallmark with HUID is the gold standard for verification in India — since June 2021, all regulated jewellery must carry a 6-digit alphanumeric HUID code.
- The BIS Care App lets you verify any HUID number instantly on your phone before you pay.
- Home tests (magnet, float, ceramic scratch) are useful first screens, but not conclusive — they rule out obvious fakes, not subtle ones.
- XRF testing at a certified Assaying and Hallmarking Centre (AHC) is the only method that gives you a precise karat reading without damaging the piece.
- Buying from a BIS-registered jeweller isn’t just safer — it directly protects your resale value, gold loan eligibility, and long-term investment.
To check gold purity before buying jewellery, look for the BIS Hallmark and HUID code on the piece, then verify the 6-digit HUID using the BIS Care App on your phone. For a physical check at home, try the magnet test (real gold won’t attract), the float test (pure gold sinks fast), or a ceramic scratch test. For certified results, take the item to a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre.
Why Gold Purity Matters More Than Most Buyers Realise
You’re about to spend ₹50,000 maybe ₹5 lakh on a gold necklace. You’ve compared designs. You’ve negotiated the making charges. But there’s one thing most buyers skip entirely: actually confirming the purity of the metal they’re paying for.
This isn’t a small oversight.
Gold prices in Moradabad (and across India) are quoted per gram of specific karat purity. If a jeweller sells you 18K gold at 22K pricing, the difference isn’t cosmetic you’re paying for 91.6% purity and receiving 75%. On a 20-gram piece at current rates, that’s thousands of rupees, gone.
The good news: India now has one of the strongest gold verification systems in the world. Since June 2021, the Government of India mandated BIS hallmarking with HUID numbers across hundreds of districts. By March 2026, over 60 crore gold jewellery pieces have been hallmarked. Checking purity has never been more accessible. You just need to know what to look for.
Here’s exactly how to do it.
What You’ll Need
You don’t need expensive equipment for most of these checks. Here’s what covers you across all methods:
- Your smartphone (for the BIS Care App and a magnifying camera)
- A strong magnet (a fridge magnet barely qualifies use a neodymium one if possible)
- A glass of water
- An unglazed ceramic tile (optional, for the scratch test)
- The BIS Care App, free on Google Play and Apple App Store
For professional testing, you’ll need to visit a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre. Testing costs ₹200 per article, and there are now over 1,500 AHCs operating across India.
How to Check Gold Purity Before Buying Jewellery: Step by Step
Step 1: Read the Karat Stamp
Before anything else, look at the piece itself. Somewhere on it inside a ring band, near a necklace clasp, on the back of a pendant there will be a small stamped number.
What the numbers mean:
| Stamp | Karat | Gold Purity |
| 999 or 24K | 24 Karat | 99.9% |
| 916 or 22K | 22 Karat | 91.6% |
| 833 or 20K | 20 Karat | 83.3% |
| 750 or 18K | 18 Karat | 75% |
| 585 or 14K | 14 Karat | 58.5% |
In Indian jewellery, 22K is the most common for traditional pieces like necklaces and bangles. 18K is standard for diamond-set jewellery because the alloy is harder. 24K is mostly coins and bars — it’s too soft for daily-wear ornaments.
If you can’t find any stamp, or the numbers look blurry and inconsistent, that’s your first red flag. Don’t proceed without asking the jeweller directly.
Step 2: Verify the BIS Hallmark
A karat stamp alone can be faked. A BIS Hallmark cannot at least not without criminal liability.
Every BIS-certified gold piece must carry four things:
- The BIS Logo — a triangular mark indicating the Bureau of Indian Standards certification
- Purity in carats and fineness — e.g., “22K916”
- The Assaying and Hallmarking Centre’s mark a unique identifier for the lab that tested this piece
- The HUID — a 6-digit alphanumeric code, laser-engraved, unique to that exact article
You need a jeweller’s loupe or a phone camera on macro mode to read the HUID clearly. Most pieces have it laser-etched in very small text near the hallmark.
What if the piece only has an older-style hallmark without a HUID? As of March 2023, the BIS mandated that all old hallmarked jewellery being resold must be re-hallmarked with a HUID before sale. If a jeweller is selling you an older piece without the HUID, ask why.
Step 3: Scan the HUID on the BIS Care App
This is the step that most buyers skip, and it’s the most important one.
Here’s how:
- Download the BIS Care App (search “BIS Care” on Google Play or the App Store — it’s free, published by Bureau of Indian Standards)
- Open the app and tap “Verify HUID”
- Enter or scan the 6-digit code from the jewellery piece
- The app will show you: article type, purity grade, hallmarking date, testing centre, and the jeweller’s registration number
If the HUID doesn’t match any record, or if the details shown don’t match what the jeweller told you — walk out. That’s not a negotiating tactic. That’s a fundamental data mismatch.
At BrijlalKishanLal Jewellers in Moradabad, every piece we sell carries a verified HUID. Customers who scan our pieces on the BIS Care App see exactly what’s on the invoice no surprises.
Step 4: Do a Quick Magnet Test
Real gold is not magnetic. Not at 24K, not at 18K, not at 14K. None of the common alloying metals used in jewellery (silver, copper, zinc) are magnetic either.
So if your piece is strongly attracted to a magnet, something is wrong. The base is likely iron, steel, or nickel-plated brass all of which are cheap and commonly used in counterfeit jewellery.
Hold the magnet close without touching. A slight pull might indicate magnetic clasps or findings (the small hardware pieces), which is normal. A strong pull on the main body of the piece is not.
One thing to understand: this test catches obvious fakes. It doesn’t confirm purity. A piece could be made of non-magnetic base metal with gold plating and pass the magnet test while containing almost no gold at all.
Step 5: Try the Float Test (Good for Coins and Bangles)
Gold is dense very dense. Its specific gravity is 19.3 g/cm³, which is roughly twice that of silver and about 2.5 times that of copper. A genuine gold coin or solid bangle dropped into a glass of water should sink immediately and directly, without hesitation or floating.
Fill a glass with plain water. Drop the piece in gently. Watch what happens.
If it floats, or sinks slowly while tilting sideways, it’s likely hollow or made from a lighter metal beneath the gold surface. Real gold doesn’t float. Ever.
This test works well for coins and simple bangles. It’s less useful for complex necklace sets where the design naturally traps air pockets.
Step 6: Ask for the Invoice with HUID and Purity Details
A legitimate jeweller will provide a bill that includes:
- The HUID number of each article
- Karat purity
- Weight breakdown (gross weight, stone weight, net gold weight)
- Making charges per gram
- Current gold rate used for pricing
- Jeweller’s BIS registration number
If the invoice doesn’t include the HUID and a clear purity declaration, ask for it explicitly. In India, as of 2024, BIS-registered jewellers are legally required to issue invoices with hallmark details. If the jeweller resists or claims “we don’t do it like that” — that’s not a regional custom. That’s non-compliance.
Step 7: Get Professional XRF Testing if Stakes Are High
For large purchases bridal sets, investment gold, inherited pieces you’re reselling a visual hallmark check is not enough. Take the piece to a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre.
The gold standard method there is XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) testing. A machine emits X-rays at the surface, and the way the metal absorbs and re-emits those rays tells the technician exactly what elements are present and in what proportions. Results are immediate, precise to 0.1%, and non-destructive the piece isn’t scratched or damaged.
The charge is ₹200 per article. For a set worth ₹2 lakh, spending ₹200 on certainty is not optional. It’s obvious.
You can find your nearest BIS-recognised AHC by searching the BIS website or calling BIS’s toll-free helpline.
What the Ceramic Scratch Test Actually Tells You
You’ve probably seen this suggested online: rub your gold piece on an unglazed ceramic tile and see what colour streak it leaves.
A golden yellow streak = likely real gold. A black streak = iron pyrite or another fake.
Here’s the honest version of this test: it’s useful, but imprecise. Gold-plated pieces often leave a golden streak too. And the test requires rubbing the piece with enough force to leave a mark on ceramic which can scratch fine jewellery.
At home, this test is fine as a preliminary screen when buying from unknown sources. It should not be your only check. And you should never apply it to finished jewellery at a reputable store without asking first jewellers won’t appreciate it, and they’ll have better verification tools available anyway.
Common Mistakes Buyers Make When Checking Gold Purity
Trusting verbal assurances without verification. “It’s 22K, guaranteed” means nothing unless the hallmark backs it up. Even well-intentioned jewellers can source hallmarked pieces that were mislabelled at the manufacturer level.
Only checking purity, not weight. A genuine 22K gold necklace can still be overpriced if the net gold weight is listed incorrectly. Always confirm gross weight, stone weight, and net gold weight on the invoice separately.
Assuming gold-coloured means gold. Gold-plated brass, gold vermeil (gold over silver), and gold-filled metal all look identical to solid gold in photos and even in person. The only way to tell is the hallmark and professional testing.
Skipping the BIS Care App scan. Most buyers check the hallmark visually and stop there. But the app takes 30 seconds and catches fake hallmarks stamped marks that look legitimate but don’t exist in the BIS database.
Accepting old hallmarks without HUID. If the piece was hallmarked before 2021 and re-sold today without being re-hallmarked under the new system, the HUID verification route is closed to you. A reputable jeweller will have had old stock re-hallmarked before putting it up for sale.
A Note on Karat vs. Fineness: Two Ways to Read the Same Thing
Indian hallmarks now use fineness numbers (like 916, 750, 585) alongside or instead of karat numbers. They mean the same thing expressed differently.
Fineness = parts per 1000. So 916 means 916 parts out of 1000 are gold, which equals 91.6%, which equals 22K.
Some imported jewellery uses only the fineness number. Don’t let the difference confuse you. Convert: fineness ÷ 10 = percentage purity. Or just match it to the karat table above.
Checking Gold Purity on Inherited or Pre-Owned Jewellery
Old jewellery — inherited pieces, heirlooms, gold bought before 2021 — often lacks a HUID. The older BIS system used different hallmark marks (the year of certification, the AHC’s mark, and the purity figure) without the unique ID system.
For these pieces, the magnet and float tests give you a preliminary read. But if you’re planning to use the jewellery as collateral for a gold loan, or sell it, take it to an AHC for testing first. The testing centre can tell you the exact purity, and if you want to sell the piece through a BIS-registered jeweller, they’ll often offer to have it re-hallmarked before purchase.
At BrijlalKishanLal, we offer an Old Gold Exchange service. Customers bringing in old gold for exchange get a purity test on-site before any valuation is done you know exactly what your gold is worth before any numbers are discussed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between 22K and 24K gold jewellery?
24K gold is 99.9% pure but very soft it bends and scratches easily. That’s why jewellery is almost never made in 24K. 22K gold is 91.6% pure gold alloyed with copper or silver, which makes it strong enough to hold its shape through daily wear while remaining nearly pure. For traditional Indian jewellery like necklaces and bangles, 22K is the most common and most practical choice.
How do I verify a HUID number on the BIS Care App?
Download the BIS Care App from Google Play or the Apple App Store. Tap “Verify HUID” on the home screen, enter the 6-digit alphanumeric code found on the piece, and tap search. The result will show the article type, purity grade, hallmarking date, AHC name, and the jeweller’s registration number. If the code returns no result, don’t buy the piece.
Is hallmarked gold always pure?
Hallmarking certifies that the gold content matches the declared karat at the time of testing. A piece marked 22K has been independently verified to contain 91.6% gold. The hallmark system is not infallible, counterfeiting happens which is why the HUID system was introduced. The digital code, once assigned by a certified AHC, can’t be duplicated without being detected in the BIS database.
Can I check gold purity at home without any tools?
The most accessible home check is visual: look for the BIS Hallmark stamp and read the purity marking. Combine this with the BIS Care App scan (your phone is the only tool needed). The magnet test and float test require items most households have. These checks together will catch obvious fakes and low-quality pieces. For precise purity confirmation, an AHC is the only reliable option.
What should I do if a jeweller refuses to show the HUID?
Ask directly for the BIS registration number of the store and the HUID of the specific piece. If the jeweller cannot provide either, contact BIS through their consumer helpline or the BIS Care App to report the issue. In India, selling hallmarked jewellery without a HUID is a violation of the Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery Order. You have the right to know.
Does the karat of gold affect resale value?
Yes, significantly. When you sell gold, buyers whether a jeweller or a financial institution offering a gold loan assess the net gold weight at the declared purity. Higher karat = more pure gold per gram = higher resale value. A 22K necklace will return more per gram than an 18K piece of the same weight. That difference compounds over years, especially as gold prices rise.
What is XRF testing and should I ask for it?
XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) is a non-destructive testing method that identifies the exact elemental composition of a metal using X-rays. It’s the most accurate at-purchase test available, used by certified assaying centres and many large jewellers. For everyday purchases under ₹1 lakh, a BIS hallmark with HUID scan is sufficient. For large bridal sets, investment purchases, or any purchase where you’re not 100% certain of the seller’s credentials, ask for XRF testing at a nearby AHC.
Before You Buy: A Quick Pre-Purchase Checklist
Run through these before handing over payment:
- Found the BIS Hallmark stamp and read the karat/fineness marking
- Located the 6-digit HUID code (use your phone camera on macro mode if needed)
- Verified the HUID on the BIS Care App — details match what the jeweller stated
- Confirmed gross weight, stone weight, and net gold weight on the invoice
- Invoice includes the HUID and the jeweller’s BIS registration number
- Magnet test passed (no attraction to a strong magnet)
- Satisfied with the making charges and current gold rate used
If you’re shopping in Moradabad and want to skip the guesswork entirely, visit BrijlalKishanLal Jewellers at Mandi Chowk. Every piece we carry is BIS-hallmarked with HUID. Every invoice is complete. And if you want to verify anything on the spot, we’ll walk you through it.
Looking for certified hallmarked gold jewellery in Moradabad? Explore our gold jewellery collection, bridal jewellery sets, or book a private consultation with our team.
