New Delhi, April 2 -- The Centre plans to tighten gold hallmarking norms by mandating stricter, item-level use of unique identification numbers, aiming to curb duplication and improve traceability, two officials familiar with the matter said. While hallmark unique identification (HUID) is already in use, the proposed framework will ensure each jewellery piece carries a distinct ID linked to its design, size and other specifications, which cannot be reused across items, even if they appear identical, or reassigned once melted, one of the officials said. "The move will ensure that once a jewellery item is melted, the unique ID assigned to it cannot be reused for any other product. It will prevent duplication or misuse of certification," the first person said. The new system will allow regulators and buyers to verify not just the hallmark number but also product-specific attributes through official records. "The decision is taken against the backdrop of a growing number of complaints about jewellery purchased with a particular hallmark ID and purity level, later being found to differ in purity," the second person added. "It has come to the notice of the department that one unique ID is being used for multiple items, which is a breach of trust for consumers and non-compliant with government norms." The officials didn't reveal how many complaints the department has received so far regarding this. "We are working on rolling out the new framework very soon across the country. We have discussed the same with stakeholders, and they are ready to comply with the proposed norms," said the second person. Sandeep Kohli, chief executive officer (CEO), Indriya, Aditya Birla Jewellery, said the initiative is being rolled out in partnership with corporate jewellers and will be progressively extended to the wider jewellery ecosystem. "This approach will effectively eliminate the risk of duplication or misuse of our product HUID numbers by third parties," Kohli said, adding that images of the hallmark markings will be uploaded on its platform, enabling future artificial intelligence (AI)-based validation to prevent counterfeit or fake markings. "We are closely aligned with BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) to seamlessly integrate these changes into our systems," he said. Queries sent on Tuesday to the Department of Consumer Affairs and some of the leading jewellery retailers, such as Tanishq, remained unanswered till press time. Tightening the framework will strengthen consumer trust, bring greater transparency and accountability in the hallmarking system, and ensure declared purity matches the product sold, said Ashim Sanyal, chief executive officer, Consumer Voice, a consumer rights' advocacy organization. In October 2025, the Department of Consumer Affairs, through its quality standards arm BIS, launched a pilot project in 25 districts to digitally capture jewellery details. BIS recorded the photograph and weight of each hallmarked jewellery item on its portal using integrated cameras and weighing systems, reducing manual errors and improving transparency. "The pilot was a huge success, and based on its outcome, a stricter framework is now being planned for rollout across the country," the second person said. Hallmarking was introduced in 2000 and made mandatory in phases from 2021, now covering about 400 districts. Since then, more than 580 million gold items have been hallmarked, averaging over 10 million a month, according to consumer affairs ministry data....