We get asked this question almost every time a parent picks up one of our pieces for the first time. They see a small stamped number on the jewellery, or a code printed on the certificate, and they ask us plainly: what does this actually mean, and how do I know it's true?
We are Karishma Jamwal and Rajni Shrestha, the founders of LadyBug Jewels. We started this brand as two mothers who wanted fine, safe, meaningful gold jewellery for our own daughters and couldn't find a dedicated children's fine jewellery house doing it properly in India. Every piece we make is handcrafted in 14 karat or 18 karat BIS Hallmark gold, and every piece comes with real documentation. So we think parents deserve a straightforward answer about what that documentation is actually telling them, not just reassurance that it exists.
When you are buying gold for a child, you are usually buying something that will be worn close to delicate skin, kept as a keepsake, and possibly passed down or resold one day. The purity number on the certificate is not a decoration. It is the one piece of information that tells you exactly how much actual gold is in the piece you are holding, versus the alloy mixed in to make it strong enough to wear.
We only work in BIS Hallmark 14K and 18K gold, and every gold piece we make is hallmarked as per Government of India norms. That is not us adding an extra step to look credible. It is the baseline we believe children's fine jewellery should never skip.
Over the years of talking parents through their first purchase, we started walking them through what we now call the Three-Mark Check. It is simply the three things a genuine BIS hallmark actually contains, and what each one tells you.
Mark one: the purity number. This is the number that tells you the actual gold content, expressed as parts per thousand. It is the number most parents fixate on, and rightly so, because it is the most direct answer to "how much real gold is this."
Mark two: the BIS mark itself. This is the triangular Bureau of Indian Standards symbol confirming the piece was hallmarked at a BIS-recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre, not just stamped by the jeweller's own workshop.
Mark three: the HUID, a unique alphanumeric code specific to that individual piece. This is what lets a piece be traced back to the exact hallmarking centre and batch it came from, rather than relying on a generic purity claim with nothing behind it.We tell every parent the same thing: if you only look at the purity number and skip the other two marks, you are reading a third of the certificate. All three together are what make a hallmark verifiable rather than just printed.
This part is public, government-set information under India's hallmarking standards, and it is worth having in plain language rather than jeweller shorthand.
A purity number like 750 means 750 parts per 1000 are pure gold, which works out to 18 karat. A number like 585 means 585 parts per 1000 are pure gold, which is 14 karat. The higher the number, the higher the gold content, and the softer and more yellow the metal tends to be. The lower the number within gold fine-jewellery range, the more alloy is mixed in, which generally makes the piece harder and more durable.
This is exactly why we work in 14K and 18K rather than 22K or 24K for children's pieces. Higher purity gold is softer, which matters less for an adult's occasional-wear necklace and matters a great deal for a child's earrings or a pendant that gets tugged, worn daily, or bumped during play. Durability, not just purity, is part of what we are choosing when we pick a karat.
To show how this reads in practice, imagine a hallmark stamped inside a pendant reading something like "750, BIS mark, HUID: AB1234CD." This is a constructed, illustrative example to explain the format, not a reproduction of an actual LadyBug Jewels certificate or a real HUID code.
The "750" tells you the piece is 18 karat gold, meaning 75 percent of its weight is pure gold. The BIS triangle mark confirms it was hallmarked at a recognised Assaying and Hallmarking Centre rather than self-certified. The HUID code is what a parent, or a jeweller years later during resale or insurance valuation, could use to trace that specific piece back to its hallmarking record. Three marks, three separate pieces of confirmation, one small stamp.
Myth 1: a higher purity number always means better jewellery for a child. Higher purity means more gold content, not necessarily a better piece for a child to actually wear. 22K and 24K gold are softer and more prone to bending or scratching under everyday play, which is exactly why we choose 14K and 18K for our designs. Purity and suitability are two different questions.
Myth 2: the purity number alone proves the jewellery is genuine. A number stamped on a piece with no accompanying BIS mark and no traceable HUID is just a claim, not a certification. This is the whole reason the Three-Mark Check exists: the purity figure is only meaningful when it comes with the BIS mark and a traceable code behind it.
Myth 3: hallmark certificates and diamond certificates are the same document. They are not, and they cover completely different things. Our jewellery comes with a BIS Hallmark for the gold and, where applicable, a separate diamond certificate. One verifies the metal, the other verifies the stone. A parent should expect to see both where a piece has diamonds set into it.
Myth 4: once a piece is hallmarked, its exact weight and price are fixed forever. Since our pieces are handmade and cast individually, small natural variations in weight are normal, and pricing is adjusted accordingly to reflect gold value, making charges, stone charges, and GST. A hallmark confirms purity, not that every piece will weigh to the milligram of a listing.
| Purity number | Karat | Approx. gold content | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 375 | 9K | 37.5 percent | Lower-cost fine jewellery, not used by LadyBug Jewels |
| 585 | 14K | 58.5 percent | Our children's earrings, pendants, and necklaces |
| 750 | 18K | 75 percent | Our children's earrings, pendants, and necklaces |
| 916 | 22K | 91.6 percent | Traditional Indian gold jewellery, softer, less common for children's daily-wear pieces |
| 990 | 24K | 99 percent | Investment-grade gold, essentially unworn as jewellery |
Look for all three marks, not just the number. If a certificate or a stamped piece only shows a purity figure with nothing else, ask where the BIS mark and the HUID are. A genuine hallmark will have both.
Do not assume a higher purity number automatically means a better choice for your child. For daily-wear children's jewellery, 14K and 18K generally hold up better to the realities of a child's day than higher-purity gold does, which is exactly why that is what we work in.
And keep your documentation. Between the BIS Hallmark, the diamond certificate where applicable, and your tax invoice, you have everything you would need years from now if you ever wanted the piece valued, insured, or passed on. We give parents all three with every order for exactly that reason.
1. What purity gold does LadyBug Jewels use?
We work exclusively in BIS Hallmark 14K and 18K gold for our earrings, pendants, necklaces, and sets.
2. Will I actually receive certificates with my order?
Yes. Every order comes with a BIS Hallmark for the gold, a diamond certificate where applicable, and a tax invoice with full product details.
3. Why does LadyBug Jewels not use 22K or 24K gold?
Higher purity gold is softer, which makes it more prone to bending, scratching, or losing shape under the everyday movement of a child's play. We chose 14K and 18K specifically because they hold up better to daily wear while still being genuine fine gold jewellery.
4. Does the hallmark number tell me the price of the piece?
No. The purity number only tells you the gold content. Price reflects the gold value at that purity, making charges, stone charges, and GST, which is also why small weight variations between handmade pieces are normal and priced accordingly.
5. Is BIS hallmarking mandatory or something brands choose to add?
BIS hallmarking follows Government of India norms, and it is the recognised standard for verifying gold purity in the country. We hallmark all our gold jewellery as a baseline commitment, not an optional add-on.
6. Can I get a custom piece with the same hallmark documentation?
Yes, custom orders placed with us follow the same hallmarking standard as our regular collection. Do note that customised or personalised pieces are not eligible for exchange or refund, so we always recommend confirming design details closely before production begins.
If you are holding a certificate right now and something on it does not look like what we have described here, reach out to us directly on WhatsApp. We would rather walk you through it than have you guess.
— Karishma Jamwal and Rajni Shrestha, Founders, LadyBug Jewels