The state of Andhra Pradesh in India recently welcomed its first gold assay and hallmarking centre, Century Hallmarkings. The centre has been inaugurated in Hyderabad by Cochin Hallmark Company Private Limited, which is part of the Chemmanur Gold Refinery (CGR) group of Kerala, reports say. CGR has been the first to receive hallmarking status by BIS in India. It has expanded to four other centres including Thrissur, Thiruvananthapuram, Coimbatore and Kochi.

The gold would carry five hallmarks including mark of BIS, fineness mark stating the carat, mark of the hallmarking centre, identification code of jeweller and year of manufacture. Such information would be laser imprinted onto the gold. The cost for hallmarking being passed onto the consumers would be nominal – at the rate of Rs 18 up to 20 gm, Rs 50 between 20 gm and 100 gm and Rs 100 for gold weighing above 100 gm, and a maximum of Rs 300 per lot, reports say.