Selling imitation jewellery online in India: licences, GST rate and label rules

Imitation jewellery needs no BIS hallmark and no product licence; you need GST registration once you ship to another state. It is HSN 7117 at 3% GST (Schedule IV, S.No. 14 of Notification 9/2025-CT(R)), and the listing must state the real material so it is not passed off as gold or silver.

Selzix Team

Oct 26, 20266 min read

Rows of oxidised silver-tone earrings, necklaces and bangles laid out for sale on an orange cloth at a street stall in Jaisalmer

In this post · 9 sections

Short answer: Imitation jewellery needs no BIS hallmark and no product licence; you need GST registration once you ship to another state. It is HSN 7117 at 3% GST (Schedule IV, S.No. 14 of Notification 9/2025-CT(R)), and the listing must state the real material so it is not passed off as gold or silver.

Rules and rates checked on 24 October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.

Licences and registrations

What	Do you need it?	Cost	Where
GST registration	Yes if you ship to any other state; otherwise only above ₹40 lakh turnover (₹20 lakh or ₹10 lakh in some states)	No fee is stated in the notifications read	GST common portal (gst.gov.in)
BIS hallmarking registration	No	None	Not applicable

GST registration. Section 24(i) of the CGST Act makes registration compulsory for anyone making inter-State taxable supplies, whatever the turnover. Notification 10/2019-CT exempts goods-only sellers up to ₹40 lakh, but that exemption excludes section 24 cases and intra-state sellers in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

BIS hallmarking registration. Mandatory hallmarking covers gold jewellery and artefacts of 14, 18, 20, 22, 23 and 24 carat. Base-metal or plated fashion jewellery under 7117 is not in it.

GST rate and HSN code

HSN 7117: Imitation jewellery [other than bangles of lac/shellac]. GST rate: 3% (Notification 9/2025-CT(R), Schedule IV, S.No. 14).

Schedule IV of Notification 9/2025-CT(R) carries 1.5% CGST, so the total is 3%. S.No. 14 reads "7117 Imitation jewellery [other than bangles of lac/shellac]". Lac and shellac bangles are cut out of this entry, so do not bill them under it. The rate for 7117 does not appear in the 56th GST Council change lists. It is the same 3% as before.

Handmade imitation jewellery, including seed, bead and cardamom garland types, has a separate 1.5% CGST entry in Notification 21/2018-CT(R) for handicrafts. The total is still 3%.

Jewellery of precious metal, or of metal clad with precious metal, is a different heading: 7113 (Schedule IV, S.No. 10). The rate is also 3%, but hallmarking rules apply to gold pieces under 7113. Pick the heading that matches what the piece is made of.

Worked example: one sale at ₹499

Price the buyer pays (GST included)	₹499
Taxable value	₹484.46
Buyer in your state: CGST + SGST	₹7.27 + ₹7.27
Buyer in another state: IGST	₹14.54

What the label and product page must show

Pack: the common or generic name that matches the product, for example "gold-plated brass earrings" (rule 6(1)(b)).
Pack: net quantity (rule 6(1)(c)).
Pack: size where it matters, such as bangle or ring size (rule 6(1)(f)).
Pack: country of origin for imported pieces, with the importer's name and address (rules 6(1)(a) and 6(1)(aa)).
Product page: describe base metal, plating and stones as they are. E-Commerce Rules 7(2) and 7(3) bar misrepresenting quality or features.
Pack: name and address of the manufacturer, and of the packer or importer where different (Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011, rule 6(1)(a)).
Pack: MRP in rupees, stated as inclusive of all taxes (rule 6(1)(e)).
Product page: show every rule 6(1) declaration except the month and year of manufacture, which rule 6(10) lets online listings leave out.
Product page: return, refund, exchange, delivery and payment terms, and the total price as one figure (Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules 2020, rule 7(1)).
Website: your legal name, address, customer care contact and a grievance officer who acknowledges complaints within 48 hours and resolves them within one month (E-Commerce Rules, rules 4(2), 4(4), 4(5)).

Packing, shipping and listing

A ₹499 pair of earrings at 3% GST has a taxable value of ₹484.46 and tax of ₹14.54. The low rate means GST is a small part of the price. Your margin depends more on shipping and returns.

Shiprocket puts "precious stones, gems and jewelry" on its restricted list, so confirm with your courier that fashion jewellery is accepted on your account. Shiprocket Secure excludes gold, silver and precious stones from cover, but its list says precious and semi-precious items other than fashion jewellery are excluded. Fashion jewellery stays covered.

Under E-Commerce Rule 7(4), you cannot refuse a return if the piece is defective, not as described or delivered late. Clear photos and a plain material description cut these claims.

Mistakes to avoid

Using words like "gold" or "silver" in the title for plated pieces. E-Commerce Rule 7(2) bars misrepresenting quality.
Billing lac or shellac bangles under 7117. The entry excludes them by name.
Selling imported stock without the importer's name and the country of origin on the pack and the listing.
Billing gold-plated silver as imitation jewellery. Metal clad with precious metal falls under 7113, not 7117.
Shipping to customers in other states before you have a GSTIN. There is no turnover threshold for inter-State supply.

On your own Selzix store

You set the HSN code and GST rate on each product, and every order gets a GST invoice with the CGST and SGST or IGST split worked out from the buyer's state. Not sure you need GST at all? Read GST for online sellers in India.

Questions sellers ask

What is the GST rate on artificial jewellery?

3%. Imitation jewellery is HSN 7117, listed at Schedule IV, S.No. 14 of Notification 9/2025-CT(R). That is 1.5% CGST plus 1.5% SGST, or 3% IGST on an inter-state sale. Lac and shellac bangles are excluded from this entry.

Do I need a licence to sell artificial jewellery online in India?

No BIS hallmark or product licence applies to imitation jewellery. You need GST registration before you ship to another state. If you sell pre-packed pieces, the pack must carry the Legal Metrology declarations.

What is the HSN code for imitation jewellery?

7117. Jewellery of precious metal, or of metal clad with precious metal, is 7113. Both are taxed at 3%, but 7113 gold pieces fall under the hallmarking rules.

Sources

Notification No. 9/2025-Central Tax (Rate), 17 September 2025 (Gazette copy), Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue (copy hosted by EPCES) (read 24 October 2026)
Notification No. 9/2025-Central Tax (Rate), CBIC Tax Information Portal (read 24 October 2026)
Notification No. 21/2018-Central Tax (Rate): supplies of specified handicraft goods, GSTGyaan (consolidated text) (read 24 October 2026)
Recommendations of the 56th Meeting of the GST Council (press release with Annexures I and II), Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Finance (copy on GST Council website) (read 24 October 2026)
Govt adds 7 more districts in 6th phase of mandatory gold hallmarking, News On AIR (Prasar Bharati) (read 24 October 2026)
Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 (rules 2, 3, 6, 26), LegitQuest (bare act text) (read 24 October 2026)
Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, LegitQuest (bare act text) (read 24 October 2026)
Notification No. 10/2019-Central Tax: registration exemption up to Rs 40 lakh for suppliers of goods, GSTZen (notification text) (read 24 October 2026)
Section 24: compulsory registration under GST, TaxGuru (read 24 October 2026)
Which products are prohibited/dangerous to ship via Shiprocket, Shiprocket Help Centre (read 24 October 2026)
List of goods not covered under Shiprocket Secure, Shiprocket Help Centre (read 24 October 2026)

General information, not tax or legal advice. Rules change; check the source before you file or apply. Cover photo: Neelam Bharti on Unsplash.