Kumari Palany & Co

What is KDM and Hallmark?

Posted on: 16/Oct/2014 10:09:34 AM

The yellow metal gold has two methods of purification. It can be done either by heating in a very high temperature, or by exposing the metal to chemicals. The metal has its own craze and charm among the public and people keep thronging on and on for the metal. Though its value and awe keeps climbing high, there are few questions about the metal which requires answers. Two of those are as follows:

·         What is KDM mark or KDM 916 mark?

·         What is Hallmark or Hallmark 916?

Here goes the explanation:

KDM mark:

In KDM type of gold ornaments, the metal would have got soldered with Cadmium. The melting point of this type of gold will be low of the range 321 degree Celsius. The material Cadmium has toxic fumes which is harmful to human skin. In most countries, this type of gold is prohited/banned. Owing to these harmful reasons, it is recommended not to use gold of this type.

916 KDM:

Any standard type of gold is of 24 carat which means, its purity level is 99.9%, whereas in case of 916 KDM, it is of 22 carat. This again will have cadmium soldered in the metal. The purity level of this gold is 91.6%.

Hallmark:

Hallmark is a kind of certification of purity of gold ornaments. This is provided in accordance with specifications of Indian standards. The Bureau of Indian Standards decides the technical aspects of the metal and decides on providing the certification. They have a separate certification scheme according to which the certification is provided. Gold jewelers can get their certification done from any BIS recognized hallmarking centre.

A brief on Hallmark jewels:

Hallmark jewels comprise of five elements:

  • BIS mark
  • Fineness number
  • Assaying
  • Year of marking by the hallmarking centre

The ultimate reason behind using such hallmarking is to keep the consumer protected from low quality of gold. Apart from satisfying customers, hallmarking is helpful in elevating the overall competitiveness of gold jewels from India. this in turn provides a stronger impetus for exporting the jewel.

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