As handcrafted Indian jewelry has grown more popular outside its traditional regional markets, the number of factory-produced pieces designed to mimic that handmade look has grown right alongside it. Some of these imitations are honestly priced costume jewelry, sold as such, which is perfectly fine for what it is. The problem arises when pieces are marketed as handcrafted or as genuine silver and gemstones while actually being mass-cast alloy with a thin plating. Knowing what to check before you buy protects both your money and your ability to trust what you are wearing.

Start With the Hallmark

In India, silver and gold jewelry sold through legitimate channels is expected to carry purity markings, and for many pieces, an official hallmark from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). For silver, look for a stamp reading 925, indicating 92.5 percent pure silver alloyed with other metals for durability, the standard used for sterling silver worldwide. For gold, hallmarks typically indicate karat purity, such as 22K or 18K, along with a BIS mark where applicable.

A missing hallmark is not automatically proof of fraud, particularly with older tribal or heirloom pieces made before formal hallmarking became widespread, or with jewelry from small artisan workshops that legitimately work in silver but have not gone through formal certification. But for a new purchase from a retailer, especially one charging prices that assume genuine silver or gold, the absence of any purity marking is a reasonable question to raise before buying, not after.

Signs of Genuine Hand Craftsmanship

Handmade jewelry, almost by definition, is not perfectly uniform, and that imperfection is actually one of the most reliable signs of authenticity.

  • Check the back and underside. Hand-finished pieces often show tool marks, slight asymmetry, or visible solder points that a cast, machine-finished piece will not have. A perfectly smooth, mirror-identical back and front usually indicates mold casting.
  • Compare a matched pair. With earrings or a pair of bangles, hold them side by side. Genuine handmade pairs are similar but rarely microscopically identical; if two pieces are exact to the millimeter, they were very likely produced from the same mold rather than shaped individually.
  • Look at wire and bead work closely. In filigree or granulation, hand-formed wire coils and soldered beads show minor variation in spacing and size. Mass-produced imitations of filigree are often stamped or cast as a single flat piece rather than assembled from individual wires.
  • Feel the weight. Hand-hammered silver and gold tend to feel substantial for their size, since the metal has been worked and thickened in places rather than uniformly thinned by a die. Very light pieces claiming to be solid silver or gold are worth questioning.

Testing Stones and Metal

For gemstones, especially in Kundan, Polki, or Navratna-style jewelry, ask the seller directly what the stones are: glass, synthetic (lab-created), semi-precious, or precious. A trustworthy seller will answer plainly and the price should match the answer; there is nothing dishonest about glass-set Kundan jewelry sold at a glass-appropriate price, but there is a problem if it is being sold at diamond-adjacent prices.

A few practical, low-risk checks for metal:

  • Magnet test. Genuine silver and gold are not magnetic. If a piece sticks noticeably to a magnet, it likely contains a significant amount of iron-based base metal underneath any plating.
  • Tarnish behavior. Real silver tarnishes gradually and evenly over time and can be restored with polishing. Silver-plated base metal often tarnishes unevenly and, once the thin plating wears through at friction points, reveals a different-colored metal underneath that polishing cannot fix.
  • Skin reaction. Genuine silver and gold rarely cause skin irritation for most people. Green marks or a rash after minimal wear often point to a base metal alloy rather than genuine precious metal, particularly with cheap plated costume pieces.

Questions Worth Asking Before You Buy

  • Is this solid silver/gold, or plated? What is the base metal underneath, if plated?
  • What is the purity, and is there a hallmark or purity stamp on the piece?
  • Are the stones natural, synthetic, or glass, and how were they set?
  • Was this piece handmade, and if so, roughly where and by whom (region or workshop type, if not a specific named artisan)?
  • Does the seller offer any return or exchange window if the piece does not match what was described?

A seller who answers these questions readily and consistently is generally trustworthy; one who becomes vague, contradicts themselves, or pressures a same-day purchase without letting you examine the piece closely deserves more caution.

Price as a Signal, Not a Guarantee

Price alone cannot confirm authenticity, since fakes exist at every price point, but an unusually low price for what is described as solid silver or gold with genuine gemstones should prompt closer inspection rather than excitement. Precious metal has a real material cost that sets a practical floor; a piece priced well below that floor, especially from an unfamiliar seller, is worth the extra five minutes of checking before it becomes the extra ten years of wondering whether it was ever genuine at all.