bling aijewelry stamps · gold
solid metal916 stamp on gold: what it means.
916 means 22k gold: 91.6% pure gold. it's the standard for gold jewelry in india and across much of the middle east and southeast asia.
- metal
- 22K gold
- 91.6% gold
- also stamped as
- 916 · 22K · 22K916 · 22KT · 917
- solid or plated
- solid all the way through
what it's worth today
live spot price · updated Sep 23, 2026, 8:00 AM UTC
melt value of the metal only, from the live spot price. buyers pay less than melt; stones, craftsmanship and maker add value.
the mark
what 916 means.
916 is 916 parts gold per 1,000, or 22 karats out of 24. you'll sometimes see 917, which rounds 22/24 the other way; it's the same standard.
in india, hallmarked gold jewelry carries the BIS logo, the purity grade written as 22K916, and a HUID: a six-digit alphanumeric code unique to that piece. the HUID can be checked in the government's BIS CARE app. hallmarking is mandatory in the districts BIS has notified, not yet everywhere in india.
22k is deep yellow and soft. it's traditional for bangles, necklaces and bridal sets, which are often bought as much for their gold value as their design.
before you trust it
how to check a 916 stamp.
- on indian jewelry, look for all three parts of the BIS hallmark: the BIS triangle logo, 22K916 and the six-digit alphanumeric HUID. a piece with only '916' and no HUID wasn't hallmarked under the current system.
- enter the HUID in the BIS CARE app to see the jeweler and the purity recorded for that exact piece.
- hold a strong magnet to it. gold isn't magnetic, so a piece that pulls toward the magnet isn't solid gold. a steel spring inside a clasp can still be magnetic on a genuine piece, so test the body, not the clasp.
- for certainty, ask a jeweler or gold buyer for an XRF scan. it reads the metal's composition in seconds without scratching the piece, unlike an acid test.
questions
the 916 stamp, answered.
other stamps
every mark is searchable in the hallmark decoder. selling vintage or estate pieces? see photography for vintage and estate sellers.
selling what you found?
photograph it like it's worth something.
bling ai turns a phone photo of a piece into a listing shot that looks like a campaign, so good jewelry sells for what it is.
