IGI has today launched its specialised “Gold Assaying Service” and with it the first one-stop certification laboratory for diamond and gold jewellery in India. It will first launch in Mumbai, then be expanded to other cities of the country. Mr. Tehmasp Printer, Managing Director of IGI-India, stated, “We are the first international certification body to officially offer a one-stop solution for diamond certification and gold hallmarking. Introduced to help alleviate some of the tight deadlines our customers, in particular, have to work under, this service offers the most comprehensive range of diamond certification and gold hallmarking services under one roof.” %% The IGI mark will also be lasered onto every jewellery article. Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in gold and is used in many countries as a guarantee of purity or fineness of gold jewellery. In India, the BIS hallmark which is a mark of conformity, is widely accepted by consumers as it gives additional buyer confidence on the purity of gold jewellery. The IGI India assaying service consists of five components: BIS Mark, the fineness number (corresponding to given caratage), Assaying and Hallmarking Centre's mark, jeweller’s mark, and year of marking denoted by a code letter decided by BIS (e.g., code letter 'A' was approved by BIS for year 2000, 'B' for 2001 and so on). Guarantee for the IGI mark is extended by the BIS/ NABL certified Assayer. The service is available at the standard BIS rate and offers convenience of speed, and a simple and inclusive pricing structure for both diamond certification and gold assaying. %% IGI continues to be the only laboratory in the country to be awarded accreditation ISO/IEC 17025:2005 for “standard grading and certification processes,” further reinforcing the exacting standards set by IGI over the past 10 years in India, and over 35 years worldwide.