China has set its first national standard for gold at 99.999 percent purity, state media Xinhua reported on Friday, citing the National Gold Standardization Technical Committee.

Gold and silver hallmarks are somewhat more universal. Gold purity is measured in karats with 24 karats representing the highest value. Gold jewelry marked "750" or "18k" indicates a blended metal ...

Look for hallmarks. All authentic gold bars and coins have a hallmark stamp that indicates their purity. This stamp is a guarantee from a reputable manufacturer that the gold is 100% pure.

With the introduction of BIS Act 2016, the government is likely to allow only 22k, 18k and 14k gold jewellery to be sold by jewellers in its hallmark logo instead of purity marks such as 916 and 875.

China already held considerable sway in gold markets. But the country’s influence has become more pronounced during this latest bull run — a nearly 50 percent increase in the global price ...