916, 22K and 24K
Indian jewellery is usually talked about in karat and stamped in fineness. 22 karat means 22 parts gold out of 24, about 91.7 percent. The stamp for that jewellery is 916, which means 916 parts of gold in 1,000, or 91.6 percent. The two figures are the same row of the trade, a few parts per thousand apart. This site’s 22K calculator uses 22 ÷ 24 and the purity chart shows both numbers.
24 karat is the pure end of that scale. Bars and coins that say 999 are 99.9 percent gold. 999.9 is a step closer. You will also see 995, which is 99.5 percent, sold as a high-fineness jewellery or coin grade. 995 is not 999. Read the digits before you call a piece 24K.
18 karat jewellery, where it appears, is the 750 stamp: 75 percent gold. 14 karat, stamp 585, is less typical of traditional Indian bangles and more typical of pieces made to another market’s habit. The number still means the same fraction.
Marks and the percent they claim
| Mark | Percent claimed | How people say it |
|---|---|---|
| 999 | 99.9% | 24K, or fine gold |
| 995 | 99.5% | A high fineness, not the same as 999 |
| 916 | 91.6% | 22K |
| 750 | 75% | 18K |
| 585 | 58.5% | 14K |
BIS hallmark and HUID
The Bureau of Indian Standards runs the hallmarking scheme for gold jewellery. A hallmark in that scheme is meant to show the fineness, such as 916 or 750, the bureau’s mark, the jeweller’s identification, and a Hallmark Unique Identification, the HUID. The HUID is a short alphanumeric code for that article. It does not itself say “22 karat.” The fineness beside it does.
Which articles must be hallmarked, and the exact look of the marks, have been revised over time. Use this page as a reading guide: find the three-digit fineness, find whether a HUID is present, and do not invent a legal cutoff from memory. A jeweller who halls under the scheme can confirm a worn piece. A shop stamp of “22K” with no hallmark is a claim by the shop, which is weaker than an assay mark and still worth reading.
Marks that are not a purity
A HUID, a jeweller’s logo and a town name are identification. They do not change grams of gold. KDM, where it still appears on older pieces, was a claim about the solder, not a karat. Do not add it to 916. Plated and gold-filled marks, if a piece was made for another market, cancel a karat the same way they do anywhere else. Those marks are listed on the purity chart.
Weight notations are not purity either. A tola is a weight. Convert it on the tola to grams page before you multiply by 916 ÷ 1,000.
From the mark to a number
Weigh the piece in grams, or convert the tolas first. Multiply by the fineness divided by 1,000, or by 22 ÷ 24 if you are using the 22K calculator for a 916 piece and you accept that small gap. The scrap value guide is the rest of the arithmetic. The result is a melt estimate, not an offer and not an appraisal. If the hallmark and a later test disagree, believe the test you can see, and ask what was tested.
Questions
Is 916 the same as 22 karat?
916 means 91.6 percent gold. Twenty-two divided by 24 is about 91.7 percent. The jewellery trade uses 916 as the 22K fineness mark. The 22K calculator on this site prices 22 ÷ 24.
Is 24K the same stamp as 999?
24 karat is the pure end of the 24 scale. Bullion and many coins are stamped 999 or 999.9, meaning 99.9 percent. Some Indian jewellery is also sold at 995 fineness, which is 99.5 percent, not 999. Read the three digits.
What is a HUID?
A Hallmark Unique Identification is the alphanumeric code the Bureau of Indian Standards scheme uses to identify a hallmarked article. It is not a karat. The fineness number next to it, such as 916 or 750, is the purity.
Does a BIS mark replace the need to weigh the piece?
No. The mark speaks to fineness. Melt value still needs the weight in grams. Convert tolas on the tola page, then use a calculator.
What if the piece only has 22K and no hallmark?
22K is a purity claim by whoever stamped it. A BIS hallmark is an assay-office claim. A missing hallmark is not proof of a fake, and a 22K punch is not proof of 916. For anything valuable, ask a jeweller who can test it.
This is a melt-value estimate, not an appraisal or an offer.