Kathmandu, October 25

The government is gearing up to implement the hallmarking of gold jewellery within one month.

Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) — the government body authorised to implement the system — has installed all equipment to test the quality of gold jewellery at its central office in Balaju and is currently testing the technology.

Introduced two years ago by the government, the state body will hallmark jewellery by putting official marks on jewellery that would confirm that the quality of the ornaments is up to the correct standard.

The hallmarking system was introduced by the 92nd meeting of Nepal Standard Council (NSC) with an aim to maintain quality in domestic gold and silver jewellery and promote them in the domestic as well as international market.

However, the hallmarking system is not mandatory for domestic jewellers.

“We have installed all necessary machines to check the quality of jewellery and we will be able to start offering the service within one month,” said Bishwo Babu Pudaisaini, director general of NBSM, adding that NBSM technical team is currently testing the technology at NBSM’s central office.

The system basically requires ‘fire assay’ machines to test the quality level of gold and silver jewellery and a sophisticated printer to print the hallmark logo in the ornaments. NBSM has spent Rs 1.5 million to set up the technology in Nepal.

Pudasaini, who is also a member of NSC, said that NBSM will enforce some basic parameters before issuing hallmark certification to domestic jewellers. NBSM will put the NS mark in jewellery with its purity level and certification date.

“We will first start providing hallmark certification to gold jewellery. In due course of time, we will also provide this certification to silver jewellery,” added Pudasaini.

Jewellers can adopt the hallmarking system to ensure customers that their jewellery are up to the correct standard. The system is also believed to end the conflict between government and traders on quality of jewellery in the market. The government monitoring has time and again found jewellers cheating customers by not maintaining purity level in gold and silver ornaments.

Under the standard set by NBSM, 24-karat gold jewellery should have purity level of 99.5 per cent.

Jewellers have already welcomed the hallmarking system saying that the system would contribute in branding domestic jewellery in the local as well as international market.