Next time when you look at the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) hallmark logo on  any ornament you purchased at jewellery store, don’t blindly believe that 91.6% pure.Instead ask for a magnifying glass and verify the real purity.

BIS certifies the ornament for purity of gold. However BIS logo just does not  mean you are buying 22K/91.6KDM gold. BIS Logo mandates fineness to be printed on the jewellery

The ornament with BIS logo in the below format

Please note the second part of the logo, which is a measure of purity also called “fineness”. It should be more than 916.

BIS LOGO FINENESS
The relationship of fineness of gold jewellery with cartage as specified in IS 1417
958 = 23
916 = 22
875= 21
750 = 18
585 = 14
375 = 9

Having a bis logo does not necessarily means that it is 91.6% pure. So please check.

Popular stores like Kalyan Jewellers, Joyalukas,TBZ, Khazana, MBS jewellers sold hallmarked gold with 91.6 BIS logo. When you buy an ornament with any thing less that 91.6%, it means it has more impurities. Since the Bureau of Indian standards does not mandate a 916 purity gold on ornament, those who don’t know will just look at bis logo and gets duped. Next time when you buy gold be sure to ask for bis 916, making charges, VA/wastage,VAT and insurance.

Ref of most widely read article Gold Buyers Guide