Most people buying silver jewellery in India trust the stamp they can see.
That trust has a problem. Old-style silver hallmarks and physical stamps pressed into metal could be forged. A brass bangle with a fake 925 stamp looks identical to certified sterling silver in a photograph and in your hand.
The HUID system changed this. Every genuine BIS hallmarked silver piece now carries a unique 6-digit code that links it to a central government database. You can verify it on your phone in 90 seconds without trusting the seller's word.
This guide tells you exactly what to look for, how to verify it, and what a failed verification means.
A BIS hallmark confirms silver purity through physical stamps. A HUID code makes that purity digitally verifiable so you can confirm it independently before you pay.
Before HUID, a BIS hallmark on silver jewellery meant up to five separate physical stamps:
Each stamp was pressed or engraved separately. Each could be counterfeited individually. A skilled forger could replicate the visual appearance of a complete hallmark set without any piece ever reaching a BIS testing centre.
Buyers had no way to verify authenticity beyond trusting the physical stamps and the stamps themselves were the vulnerability.
HUID Hallmark Unique Identification assigns a unique 6-digit alphanumeric code to every individual piece of jewellery tested at a BIS Assaying and Hallmarking Centre.
What makes HUID different:
Key Takeaway: The old hallmark system told you what the seller claimed. The HUID system lets you verify what the government confirmed independently, on your phone, before you pay.
Before you open the BIS CARE app, find these three marks on the physical piece. All three must be present.
The Bureau of Indian Standards logo is a triangle with BIS inside, accompanied by the word SILVER. This confirms the piece was submitted to and tested by a registered AHC. The logo alone without the other two marks is insufficient.
| Mark | Silver Content | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 999 | 99.9% pure | Fine silver too soft for most jewellery, used for investment bars and some puja items |
| 990 | 99% pure | High-purity silver used for puja silverware |
| 925 | 92.5% pure | Sterling silver, the standard for wearable jewellery |
For jewellery necklaces, bangles, earrings, temple sets, 925 is the correct grade. Anything below this is either a lower-grade silver or not silver at all.
A unique alphanumeric code, for example, AB1234, laser-engraved into the metal. This is the digital fingerprint of the specific piece.
Use your smartphone camera at maximum zoom. The code is small, typically 2 to 4mm, but clearly legible under magnification on genuine pieces.
This takes 90 seconds. Do it before accepting delivery on any online order.
Available free on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Search "BIS CARE"; the official app carries the BIS logo. No account required for HUID verification.
From the app home screen, select the Verify HUID option. The interface is straightforward: a text field for the code.
Type the alphanumeric HUID exactly as it appears on the piece, case-sensitive. Submit.
A genuine piece returns:
If the code returns no result, the HUID does not exist in the database. The piece has not been certified by BIS. Do not accept it.
If the code returns mismatched details, a necklace returning a bangle registration, or a different jeweller name than the seller, contact the seller immediately and do not accept delivery until the discrepancy is resolved.
Uncertified silver jewellery frequently uses cheap filler metals to reduce cost.
The two metals that cause problems:
Certified 925 sterling silver contains 92.5 percent pure silver alloyed with copper only no nickel, no lead. This is what the BIS certification confirms. Fashion jewellery sold as "silver" or "German silver" carries no such guarantee.
At HS925, every piece is BIS hallmarked 925 sterling silver. When tarnish or wear appears over time a natural property of silver HS925 offers lifetime repolishing services that bring the jewellery back to its original beauty. The silver base accepts this indefinitely. No fashion alloy piece can make that offer.
Explore the HS925 temple silver jewellery collection for BIS-hallmarked 925 sterling silver jewellery.
A BIS hallmarked silver piece has recoverable precious metal value. A fashion alloy piece has none.
A BIS hallmark is a set of physical stamps: the BIS triangle, purity grade, and jeweller mark that confirm the piece was tested for silver content. HUID is a unique 6-digit digital code registered in the BIS database that makes those stamps independently verifiable. The hallmark tells you what was claimed. The HUID lets you confirm it yourself on your phone.
Look at the clasp or the back of the central pendant using your phone camera at maximum zoom. Find the 6-digit alphanumeric code. Open the BIS CARE app free on Android and iOS, go to Verify HUID, enter the code, and the app returns the jeweller registration, testing centre, and purity grade instantly. If no result appears the piece is not BIS certified.
For more guidance on identifying real sterling silver, read How to Identify Real 925 Sterling Silver Jewellery in India.
Uncertified "silver" jewellery often contains nickel or copper-heavy alloys as base metal. When these contact sweat, they oxidise and the oxide transfers to the skin causing green staining from copper and rashes from nickel. Certified 925 sterling silver contains no nickel and uses copper only as the 7.5 percent alloying addition not enough to cause skin reactions in the vast majority of wearers.
No. German silver also called white metal or nickel silver contains zero actual silver. It is a copper-nickel-zinc alloy named for its silver appearance. It cannot be BIS hallmarked, has no precious metal value, and causes nickel contact reactions in sensitive wearers. Always look for the 925 stamp and BIS hallmark before purchasing any piece described as silver.
For additional context on silver and temple jewellery styles, see Silver Antique Jewellery — Nakshi, Oxidised and Temple Styles Explained.
The HUID system exists because physical stamps could not be trusted alone.
A 6-digit code registered in a government database, verifiable on your phone in 90 seconds, linked to a specific piece and a specific testing centre that is what genuine BIS hallmarked 925 silver looks like in 2026.
Before you accept any silver jewellery purchase online or in store, find the three marks, enter the HUID in the BIS CARE app, and read the result. If the result matches, you have certified silver. If it does not, you do not.
