Carat (or karat) is the term used to measure the proportion of gold in jewellery. The origin of the word ´carat´ lies in ´carob seed´, which was originally used to balance scales in Oriental bazaars. Pure gold is designated 24 carat, and is the finest gold found; 18 carat gold is defined as 75% pure gold.

Pure gold is yellow in colour, but when alloyed with other metals, results in varying colours of gold. Gold alloys are usually a mixture of silver, copper, and zinc, where the amounts of each vary depending on the desired final colour, normally white and red gold.

Hallmarking on a piece of gold jewellery will give you an indication of where it was manufactured. However, hallmarking is only a legal requirement in some countries, such as the United Kingdom. While in other countries it may be done voluntarily, sometimes it is not carried out at all. In places where hallmarking is carried out, small symbols on the item ascribe information such as caratage, country of manufacture and the company that manufactured it. The amount of the information available from the hallmark will vary according to the standards of the country that the jewellery was purchased in.

BIS is a regulatory body of the Govt. of India, which has standardised various products. It is extremely crucial to understand the benefits provided by ensuring Hallmark Jewellery. BIS certified gold Hallmarked Jewellery can be identified by 5 visible marks on the back of the jewellery – a BIS mandate. These are:

BIS Hallmark Logo

Purity of Gold ´916´ -22ct, ´875´ - 21ct etc.

The Hallmarking centre´s logo

The jewelers´ identification mark

Year of Hallmarking ´A´ -year 2000, ´B´ -year 2001 .... ´H´ - year 2007.

No, it is quite different. White gold achieves its whiteness when other metals are added to yellow gold. Platinum, conversely, is white to begin with and maintains its lustre permanently.