Most silver sold in India carries some kind of stamp, and most buyers cannot tell a hallmark from a maker's mark. That matters because silver prices are tied to purity, and a piece sold as sterling but made from a lower alloy, or from German silver with no silver at all, looks much the same on a counter. The rules also changed recently: silver now has its own HUID, and the list of purity grades was revised. This guide covers the current rules, checked against bis.gov.in and government press releases on 28 September 2026.
Is silver hallmarking mandatory in India?
Silver hallmarking is voluntary in India. BIS has run a voluntary silver hallmarking scheme since October 2005, and a government release in December 2025 stated that "the Silver Hallmarking Scheme remains voluntary". When we checked bis.gov.in on 28 September 2026, the Mandatory Hallmarking Order and all its amendments were titled for gold jewellery and gold artefacts only.
What changed is the mark itself. Since 1 September 2025, the BIS hallmark on any silver article that a jeweller chooses to get hallmarked includes a Hallmarking Unique Identification code. So a jeweller may sell unhallmarked silver, but if a piece is sold as BIS hallmarked and was hallmarked after that date, it should have an HUID.
| Question | Gold jewellery | Silver jewellery |
|---|---|---|
| BIS hallmarking compulsory for sale | Yes, in notified districts | No, voluntary |
| HUID on hallmarked pieces | Yes, since 1 July 2021 | Yes, since 1 September 2025 |
| Current Indian Standard | IS 1417:2016 | IS 2112:2025 (replaced IS 2112:2014) |
| Verify in BIS Care app | Yes | Yes, for pieces hallmarked from 1 Sep 2025 |
| Hallmarking fee paid by jeweller | ₹75 per article | ₹35 per article |
What does 925 mean on silver?
925 means 925 parts per thousand of the metal is pure silver: 92.5 percent. This is sterling silver. The other 7.5 percent is an alloy metal, most often copper, added because pure silver is too soft to hold its shape or grip a stone in daily wear.
According to the government release announcing silver HUID, the revised standard IS 2112:2025 allows seven purity grades. Grades 958 and 999 were added, and 900 from the old list does not appear in the new one.
| Grade on the hallmark | Silver content | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 999 | 99.9% | Fine silver; newly added in IS 2112:2025 |
| 990 | 99.0% | Very high purity; soft |
| 970 | 97.0% | High purity; soft |
| 958 | 95.8% | Newly added; the same purity as Britannia silver in the UK |
| 925 | 92.5% | Sterling silver; the usual standard for rings, chains and bracelets |
| 835 | 83.5% | Lower-grade alloy |
| 800 | 80.0% | Lowest grade; common for anklets and articles |
The December 2025 release noted that 925 and 800 together made up nearly 90 percent of silver hallmarked in the first three months of the HUID system. Some older BIS pages still list the six grades of IS 2112:2014 (800, 835, 900, 925, 970 and 990), which is correct for pieces hallmarked under the old standard. For why 925 rather than purer silver is used in jewellery, see sterling silver vs pure silver.
What marks are in a BIS silver hallmark?
A silver hallmark applied from 1 September 2025 has three parts: the BIS standard mark with the word SILVER, the purity grade, and a six-character alphanumeric HUID. A piece hallmarked earlier under IS 2112:2014 carries a four-part mark instead: the BIS mark with the word SILVER, the purity grade, the assaying centre's mark and the jeweller's mark.
| Mark you may see | What it means | Who applies it |
|---|---|---|
| BIS triangle logo with the word SILVER | Tested under the BIS scheme | BIS-recognised hallmarking centre |
| 925, 800, 999 and so on | Purity in parts per thousand | Hallmarking centre |
| Six-character code, letters and numbers | HUID, for pieces hallmarked from 1 Sep 2025 | Hallmarking centre |
| Centre mark and jeweller's mark, no HUID | Older hallmark under IS 2112:2014 | Hallmarking centre |
| 925, S925, 92.5 or Sterling alone | The maker's own claim of purity | The manufacturer or seller |
BIS also sets the size of the hallmark: for silver, the permitted heights range from 0.75 mm to 4.0 mm, so on a small ring you will need magnification to read it.
How to check a silver hallmark
You can check most of what matters with a 10x loupe, the invoice and the BIS Care app. BIS requires registered jewellers to keep a magnifier of at least 10x in the shop to show you the hallmark, so ask for it.
- Find the BIS logo with the word SILVER. Look inside a ring, near the clasp of a chain or on the back of a pendant. No BIS logo means no BIS hallmark, whatever else is stamped.
- Read the purity grade. For sterling jewellery it should say 925. A lower grade is legitimate but should be reflected in the price.
- Find the HUID. For a piece hallmarked from 1 September 2025, there should be a six-character code.
- Verify it in the BIS Care app. Use the Verify HUID feature. The government release says the app shows the purity, the type of article (ring, chain, anklet and so on), the jeweller who submitted it and the hallmarking centre. If the article type or purity does not match what is in your hand, ask why.
- Check detachable parts. BIS states that each article in a pair and every detachable part should be hallmarked separately.
- Get it on the bill. BIS says the invoice should carry the details of hallmarked articles, which you will need for any complaint.
If you suspect a piece is not what it claims to be, our guide to telling real gold and silver from fake covers the home checks that help and the ones that do not. The same app check works for gold; see HUID number check.
What if hallmarked silver fails a purity test?
The buyer is entitled to compensation. BIS's consumer protection page for hallmarking states that if hallmarked jewellery is found to be of lower purity than marked, the buyer is entitled to two times the amount of the difference, calculated on the purity shortfall for the weight of the article, plus the testing charges. You can have a piece tested at any BIS-recognised assaying and hallmarking centre, which must issue an assay report, and complaints can be registered through the BIS Care app or the online complaint portal on bis.gov.in.
How much does silver hallmarking cost?
Hallmarking adds very little to the cost of a silver piece. Under the Bureau of Indian Standards (Hallmarking) Amendment Regulations, 2026, published on 14 September 2026, the fee a jeweller pays a hallmarking centre is ₹35 per silver article, with a minimum of ₹150 per consignment, plus taxes. The same notification set the gold fee at ₹75 per article.
The fee is per article, not per gram, so it is the same for a 5 g ring as for a 60 g kada. If a seller tells you hallmarking is the reason a piece is expensive, that is not where the money goes.
Silver hallmarks outside India
Hallmarking rules differ by country, which matters for imported or inherited pieces.
- United Kingdom: hallmarking is a legal requirement for silver above a weight threshold. The Assay Office London lists three compulsory marks: the sponsor's (maker's) mark, the millesimal fineness mark such as 925, and the assay office mark. Sterling pieces often also carry the lion passant, a traditional symbol, and a date letter.
- United States and many online marketplaces: "925" or "Sterling" is usually a manufacturer's stamp rather than an independent hallmark.
- Pieces stamped "S925" or "92.5": common on imported jewellery; these are maker's claims unless accompanied by an assay office or BIS mark.
How AXIOM approaches this
AXIOM works in 925 sterling silver, and our site describes the metal as solid and hallmarked; if you want to know about the marks on a particular piece before you buy, ask, and a real person replies to every message. You can read more about how and where pieces are made on our about page, and ask about a specific piece through our contact page. For whether 925 is the right metal for you in the first place, see is 925 sterling silver good for men.
The practical takeaway
In India, a 925 stamp tells you what the maker claims; a BIS mark with the word SILVER and an HUID tells you someone independent tested it, and you can check that in the BIS Care app in under a minute. Because silver hallmarking is voluntary, ask for a hallmarked piece, verify the HUID before you pay, and make sure the invoice records it.
