A dispute on gold purity at a Bilaspur jewellery shop has raised a crucial issue for gold buyers: Can you trust a jeweller just because you have known them for years?
According to the account shared about the incident, a Malabar Jewellery shop in Bilaspur was accused of selling gold marked or represented as 22 carat when testing reportedly showed it to be around 20 carat. If confirmed, that would mean a significant difference in the actual gold content and value of the jewellery.
As a result, it was said, local jewellers started to worry about the trust in the jewellery business in these areas.
The story also struck a personal chord with many people since gold buying in India is often based on relationships. For decades families can buy jewellery from the same jeweller. A shop can be the family’s trusted place for wedding jewellery, gifts and investments.
But trust alone is not enough to say whether gold is pure or not.
Gold purity is measured in karats. Pure gold is 24 karat. Gold sold as 22 karat contains about 91.6 percent gold. Gold sold as 20 karat contains about 83.3 percent gold. That may be small on paper but when you are buying several grams of expensive jewellery it can make a huge difference.
Why does gold purity become a problem?
There are various reasons why buyers should not depend only on what a salesperson tells them.
The first is that gold jewellery is not always made from pure gold. Gold is mixed with other metals to make jewellery stronger and more suitable for everyday use. That is why jewellery is generally available in different purities such as 18 karat and 22 karat.
The problem begins when the purity of the jewellery does not match what the buyer has been promised.
A customer may believe they are paying the price for 22 karat gold while actually receiving jewellery with a lower gold content. The buyer may not notice the difference simply by looking at the jewellery because gold of different purities can look very similar.
In other words, independent testing and hallmarking are very important.
BIS hallmarking is a method in India to verify the quality of gold jewellery. Hallmarked jewellery has a six-digit HUID number which can be checked with the BIS Care app. Buyers should check these details before purchasing gold.
Another important point that can be found in the case of a familiar jeweller is that a familiar jeweller is not a guarantee of purity.
A relationship can make customers feel more comfortable and they may also be less likely to ask questions. Someone who has been buying jewellery from the same shop for many years may not even consider testing an item separately and may not be able to get an item tested separately for a long period of time.
That is where the biggest risk can come in.
The personal experience shared alongside Bilaspur makes this point even more compelling. A family trusted the same jeweller for three generations and later found that jewellery they were told was 22 karat was actually much lower in purity. The family only found out about the difference after getting the jewellery tested at a Tanishq outlet that had a testing machine available.
That particular personal account should be treated as an individual experience, not proof that every family jeweller behaves this way. But it is a valuable consumer lesson: never confuse familiarity with verification.
How Buyers Can Protect Themselves?
The easiest way to reduce risk is to check the jewellery before making a major purchase.
First, look for the BIS hallmark and HUID. Do not just rely on a verbal promise that the jewellery is 22-karat.
Second, ask for an invoice. The bill should have all the details in it, including the gold purity, weight, and other charges.
Third, know the difference between gross weight and net gold weight. If the jewellery is made of stones or other materials, don’t put all of the weight into gold weight.
Fourth, get expensive jewellery tested independently. Modern testing machines can provide useful information about the composition of a jewellery piece. If you are buying a lot of gold, then paying a little bit of money for independent verification may be worth it.
Buyers should also compare prices and policies of different jewellers. Do not believe that a shop with a familiar name or a long history of relationships is automatically giving you the best deal.
There is another important point here. A purity test can be useful when buying new jewellery, but it can be especially valuable when exchanging old gold. The purity of old jewellery may be different from what the owner remembers or was originally told.
Consumer awareness matters because gold is not a small purchase for most Indian families. Many people save for wedding jewellery and gold is a form of wealth for years. A small difference in purity can lead to a very large financial loss if the quantity is high.
But that doesn’t mean customers should cease trusting jewellers entirely. Most businesses take their reputation seriously and meet the standards. The best way to do that is to combine trust with basic verification.
The Bilaspur controversy and the personal experience associated with it also raise the same uncomfortable question: What happens when the person you trust most is never asked to prove the purity of what they sell?
The answer is simple. If you buy from a large jewellery chain or a small family jeweller, check the hallmark, verify the HUID, read the bill, and test expensive jewellery when necessary.
Trust is much more precious in gold. But proof is even more valuable.
