Fake and under-karat jewellery survives because most buyers check nothing, or rely on a trick they saw online. India now has one of the most useful checks in the world, the HUID, and it takes under a minute. This guide covers that check first, then the home tests people use, with an honest note on what each one can and cannot tell you.
How to check real gold: start with the BIS hallmark
The most reliable check you can do yourself is to read the BIS hallmark and verify its HUID. Since 1 July 2021, according to the BIS hallmarking FAQ, a gold hallmark consists of three marks: the BIS logo, the purity in karat and fineness, and a six digit alphanumeric HUID unique to that piece.
| Mark | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| BIS standard mark | Triangle logo | The piece was tested within the BIS system |
| Purity grade | 22K916, 18K750, 14K585 | Karat and gold content per 1,000 parts |
| HUID | Six letters and numbers | A unique code linked to the test record |
Mandatory hallmarking covers six gold grades under the standard IS 1417: 14K (585), 18K (750), 20K (833), 22K (916), 23K (958) and 24K (995). A seventh grade, 9K (375), was added to the standard in July 2025 as a voluntary grade, so a 9K piece may carry a hallmark but is not required to. The number after the K is the fineness, and our guide to 916 vs 750 gold explains each one.
Look for the marks on a flat, hidden surface: inside a ring, on a clasp tongue, behind a pendant bail, on the inner wall of a kada. They are tiny, so use your phone camera at full zoom or a 10x loupe.
How do I verify a hallmark on gold jewellery?
Enter the HUID in the Verify HUID feature of the free BIS Care app, then check the result against the piece. BIS says the result shows the jeweller who had it hallmarked, their registration number, the purity, the type of article and the hallmarking centre.
If the app says the code belongs to a ring and you are holding a chain, or the purity differs from the stamp, do not buy. The full walk-through, including what to do when a code fails, is in our HUID number check guide.
Two points trip people up. A bare "916" with no BIS logo or HUID is not a hallmark, only a claim. And gold hallmarked before July 2021 carries an older four mark hallmark with no HUID; BIS has said such jewellery already with consumers remains valid, but jewellers may no longer sell gold without a HUID.
How to check if silver is real
For silver, the purity number is usually 925, meaning 92.5 percent silver, and on a BIS hallmarked piece it sits beside the BIS mark with the word SILVER. Silver hallmarking in India is voluntary, so many genuine pieces carry only a maker's 925 stamp.
The rules changed in 2025. Under the revised standard IS 2112:2025, HUID based hallmarking for silver started on a voluntary basis from 1 September 2025, as the government's press release sets out. A silver hallmark under the new standard has three components: the BIS mark with the word SILVER, a purity grade and a HUID.
| Silver grade (IS 2112:2025) | Silver content | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 999 | 99.9% | Newly added in 2025; very soft |
| 990, 970, 958 | 99% to 95.8% | High purity; 958 newly added in 2025 |
| 925 | 92.5% | Sterling silver, the usual grade for jewellery |
| 835, 800 | 83.5% and 80% | Lower grades, harder but less silver |
Silver hallmarked before September 2025 used a four part mark: the BIS mark with SILVER, the purity, the hallmarking centre's mark and the jeweller's mark. Our guide to the silver hallmark and 925 stamp covers both formats.
Stamps that mean the piece is not solid gold
Some stamps tell you outright that a piece is plated or layered rather than solid. Learn these and you will catch many fakes before any test.
| Stamp | What it means |
|---|---|
| GP or GEP | Gold plated: a very thin gold layer over base metal |
| HGE or HGP | Heavy gold electroplate: a thicker plate, still base metal inside |
| RGP | Rolled gold plate: a bonded gold layer, thinner than gold filled |
| GF, or a fraction such as 1/20 12K GF | Gold filled: a thicker bonded layer, the fraction being its share by weight |
| 925 on a yellow piece | Gold coloured sterling silver, often called vermeil when the plating is thick |
None of these is a BIS gold hallmark, and none should be sold or priced as solid gold. A seller who describes a GP chain as "gold" is describing its colour, not its metal.
Home tests for gold and silver, and how far to trust them
Home tests can rule out crude fakes, but none measures purity. Use them to decide whether a piece needs a proper test, not to decide that it is genuine.
| Test | Works for gold? | Works for silver? | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallmark and HUID check | Yes | Yes, if hallmarked | High |
| Magnet test | Rules out steel and iron fakes | Rules out steel and iron fakes | Low: many fakes are not magnetic |
| Ceramic streak test | Partly | Partly | Low, and it scratches the piece |
| Skin and colour marks | A clue only | A clue only | Low |
| Ice or heat conduction test | No | A rough clue | Low |
| Acid test kit | Yes, roughly by karat | Yes | Moderate, but marks the piece |
| Density (water displacement) | Yes, with a precise scale | Yes | Moderate; fooled by tungsten cores, useless with stones or hollow pieces |
| XRF at a jeweller or centre | Yes | Yes | High for solid metal, can miss thick plating |
| Fire assay at a hallmarking centre | Yes | Yes | Highest, but destructive |
The magnet test
Gold and silver are not magnetic. If a piece jumps to a strong magnet, it is not solid gold or silver. The problem is the reverse: brass, copper and most plated fakes are not magnetic either, and a steel spring in a clasp can pull on a real chain. Test the body of the piece, not the clasp.
The ceramic streak test
Rubbing gold on unglazed ceramic leaves a gold coloured streak, while many fakes leave a black or grey one. It scratches the piece, it cannot tell 18K from 22K, and thick plating can pass. We do not recommend it on anything you value.
Skin marks and a gold chain turning black
A chain that turns black or green, and rubs colour onto your skin, often has plating worn through to base metal. That is the classic sign behind searches like "fake gold chain turning black". But it is not proof. Lower karat gold contains more alloy metals, which can react with sweat or cosmetics and leave dark marks, so check the hallmark before deciding. Our guide to a gold chain turning black covers the causes and fixes.
The ice test for silver
Silver conducts heat very well, so an ice cube placed on a thick silver piece melts noticeably faster than on most other metals. It needs a flat, solid piece to show anything, and it cannot distinguish 925 from lower grades or from silver plating over copper.
Acid test kits
Acid kits compare how a scratch of the metal reacts with acids of different strengths. In practised hands they give a rough karat reading. They mark the piece, the acids are hazardous, and plated items can mislead a careless test.
What professionals use: XRF and fire assay
Jewellers and hallmarking centres test gold with XRF machines or fire assay. XRF is non-destructive and fast, but it reads only the metal near the surface, so a thickly plated piece can read higher than it is. Fire assay melts a sample and is the most accurate method, which is why hallmarking centres use it as the reference.
As a consumer, you can have any piece tested at a BIS recognised assaying and hallmarking centre; BIS lists ₹200 for a fire assay test. If a hallmarked piece turns out to be below its marked purity, BIS's consumer protection rules entitle you to compensation of two times the difference calculated on the purity shortage for the article's weight, plus the testing charges.
How to protect yourself when buying gold or silver
The strongest protection is at the counter, before you pay. These steps take five minutes and cover almost every common problem.
- Read the full hallmark: logo, purity grade and HUID.
- Verify the HUID in BIS Care and match article type and purity to the piece.
- Ask for an itemised bill showing net metal weight, purity, rate per gram, making charges and hallmarking charges. BIS advises buyers to insist on one.
- For silver, ask whether the piece is BIS hallmarked, and if it carries a HUID, verify it the same way.
- For stones, ask for the grading report; our guide on how to check a real diamond at home explains what home tests miss.
The same logic separates fine jewellery from fashion pieces generally: solid precious metal with a verifiable mark versus plated base metal with none. Fine jewellery vs fashion jewellery explains the difference in detail.
AXIOM, a men's jewellery house at the Bharat Diamond Bourse, makes most of its pieces in solid 925 sterling silver with 18K white gold options on a few designs, all solid metal rather than plated base metal, with the metal named on each product page and the details of any piece available if you ask us before you buy.
The practical takeaway
Trust the hallmark and the HUID, not a magnet or a streak on a tile. If a piece has no hallmark, or the HUID does not match, a ₹200 test at a hallmarking centre is cheaper than a mistake.
