Gold Hallmark Symbols Explained: UK, India, Gulf & Europe

The UK has hallmarked gold since 1300 — the oldest hallmarking system in the world. A British hallmark has three compulsory marks: the fineness mark (375 for 9K, 750 for 18K, 916 for 22K, 999 for 24K), the assay office mark, and the sponsor's (maker's) mark. The assay offices are London (leopard's head), Birmingham (anchor), Sheffield (rose) and Edinburgh (castle).

UK hallmarking is a legal guarantee: it is a criminal offence to sell gold above a small weight in the UK without a hallmark. The system is run by the four assay offices under the Hallmarking Act, and any UK hallmark can be verified with the assay office that applied it.

India's BIS hallmark has three marks: the BIS logo, the fineness number (916 for 22K, 999 for 24K, 750 for 18K) and the six-digit HUID (Hallmark Unique Identification) number, which can be verified in the BIS Care app. Hallmarking has been mandatory for gold jewellery in India since 2021.

Older Indian pieces carry the jeweller's identification mark and the assay centre's mark instead of the HUID. Both versions are valid. The BIS system is the most widely used hallmarking scheme in the world, because India is the biggest gold jewellery market.

The Gulf states hallmark gold through their municipalities and assay offices. Dubai gold carries the Dubai Municipality hallmark (applied by the Dubai Central Laboratory) with the fineness mark — 916, 875, 750 or 999. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman have their own assay and hallmarking arrangements, all using the same fineness numbers.

Gulf hallmarks are generally reliable, and the souq jewellers stake their reputation on them. If you buy gold in the Gulf, check the hallmark is present and matches the karat on the invoice — and keep the invoice, which is your proof for resale anywhere in the region.

Europe has no single hallmarking system: each country has its own. Switzerland, Italy, France and Germany all have assay systems using the fineness numbers (750, 916, 999). The International Convention on Hallmarking (the Vienna Convention) allows member countries' marks to be recognised across borders — look for the Common Control Mark, a scale symbol, on Convention-hallmarked gold.

US gold is not hallmarked by law in the same way: American jewellers stamp the karat (14K, 18K) under Federal Trade Commission rules, but there is no government assay. For US bullion, the mint's own stamp (US Mint, PAMP, Credit Suisse) is the guarantee, backed by the refiner's reputation.

Whatever the country, the fineness number is the key: 999, 916, 875, 750, 585 or 375. It tells you the pure gold content — 916 means 91.6% pure, 750 means 75% pure. The other marks tell you who certified it and where. If the fineness number is missing, the piece is not properly hallmarked, whatever else is stamped on it.

When in doubt, have the piece tested by an assay office in your own country. A hallmark is a promise made in one country; an assay is proof you can use in any country.