New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- Bengaluru,

Mumbai :

India's jewellers are facing higher compliance costs in the run-up to the festive and wedding season after the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) raised the gold hallmarking fee by 67% to Rs.75 per article from Rs.45 on 14 September.

The increase comes as elevated gold prices have pushed consumers towards lighter jewellery and exchanges, making the flat per-article fee more significant for lower-value pieces and adding to costs for retailers that absorb the charge rather than pass it on to customers.

Amit Modak, chief executive and director of Reva Diamonds by P.N. Gadgil & Sons Ltd, said the additional cost would become meaningful at scale for a retailer that hallmarks a large number of articl...