Thursday, 17th April 2008 (715 views)

A campaign by Indian jewellery house Tanishq has led to calls for the standardised hallmarking of gold jewellery to ensure consumers in "the world's biggest gold market" are receiving the purity they pay for, according to reports.

Gulf newspaper Xpress said Tanishq's vice-president for retail and marketing, V Govind Raj, made the call for uniform hallmarking during his speech to the Dubai City of Gold conference in the United Arab Emirates.

According to the paper, Tanishq is one of India's largest jewellery retailers with 105 stores in 71 cities. The company has pioneered its own one million rupees-a-piece (£12,661) 'carat meter', which customers can use to ensure the purity of their gold - and it is now campaigning for the rest of the industry to follow suit.

Xpress says the firm's drive for hallmarking has led to "widespread calls" for India's government to introduce a nationally-recognised system.

"Fascination with gold has been part of our culture over the centuries … But now, there has been a change in consumer consciousness on the purity issue," Mr Raj reportedly told the conference.

The newspaper says 800 tonnes of gold are currently sold in India every year.

The Dubai City of Gold conference is organised by the Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group, the organisation behind the Gulf state's annual Shopping Festival.

 

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